1^ THE  KINGDOM  ROUNDS 
THE  CORNER 


CONINGSBY  DAV/SON 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

IN  MEMORY  OF 
EDWIN  CORLE 

PRESENTED  BY 
JEAN  CORLE 


The  Kingdom  Round 
the  Corner— 


BOOKS  BY  MR.  DAWSON 


THE  KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

THE  GARDEN  WITHOUT  WALLS 

SLAVES  OF  FREEDOM 

THE  RAFT 

LAST  CHANCE  RIVER 

THE  ROAD  TO  AVALON 


sro^ies 

THE  LITTLE  HOUSE  —  Illustrations  by  Stella  Langdale 

THE  SEVENTH  CHRISTMAS  — 

Illustrations  by  Edmund  Dulac 

THE  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY  —  Illustrations  by  W.  C.  Rice 


CARRY  ON:     LETTERS  IN  WAR-TIME 

THE  GLORY  OF  THE  TRENCHES 

OUT  TO  WIN:  THE  STORY  OF  AMERICA  IN  FRANCE 

LIVING  BAYONETS:  A  RECORD  OF  THE  LAST  PUSH 

THE  TEST  OF  SCARLET:  A  ROMANCE  OF  REALITY 


FLORENCE  ON  A  CERTAIN  NIGHT 
THE  WORKER  AND  OTHER  POEMS 


"I'm  sorry,"  Tabs  apologized.    "I  didn't  mean  anything  unkind." 


The  Kingdom  Round 
the  Corner  —  cA  °z\(ore/ 

CONINGSBY  DAWSON 


Illustrated     by     W.     D  .     Stevens 


"To  every  man  the  Woman  whom  he  loves  is 
as  Mother  Earth  was  to  her  legendary  son: 
he  has  but  to  kneel  and  £iss  her  breast  to 
know  that  he  is  strong  again." — Michelet 


NEW      YORK 


M  C  M  X  X  I 


Copyright,  1921,  by  Cosmopolitan  Book  Corporation, 
New  York. — All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of 
translation  into  foreign  languages,  including  that 
of  the  Scandinavian 


Printed  in    the    United  'States   of  America 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

AN  ALTERED  WORLD  7 


CHAPTER  II 
RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  54 

CHAPTER  III 
ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  94 

CHAPTER  rv 
THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE  1 34 

CHAPTER  V 
THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  1 72 

CHAPTER  VI 
TRAMPLED  ROSES  217 

CHAPTER  VII 
SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  262 

CHAPTER  VIII 
ROUND  THE  CORNER  311 


2037525 


The  Illustrations  by 

W.  D.  Stevens 


"I'M    SORRY,"   TABS    APOLOGIZED.       "I    DIDN*T    MEAN    ANYTHING 

UNKIND."       (Page  33)  Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

TABS    EXTENDED    HIE    HAND.       BRAITHWAITE    MADE    NO    MOTION 

TO   TAKE    IT.  |30 


'MRS.  LOCKWOOD,  WHY  CAN'T  YOU  LET  ADAIR  ALONE?"  172 

'YOU'RE  NO  GOOD  AS  A  BUTLER,"  SHE  WHISPERED.  188 


The  Kingdom   Round  the  Corner 


The  Kingdom  Round 
the  Corner 

CHAPTER  THE  FIRST 

AN     ALTERIED     WOULD 


IT  was  on  a  blustering  March  morning  in  1919 
that  Tabs  regained  his  freedom.  His  last  five 
months  had  been  spent  among  doctors,  having  sun 
dry  bullets  extracted  from  his  legs.  He  walked  with 
a  limp  which  was  not  too  perceptible  unless  he  grew 
tired.  His  emotions  were  similar  to  those  of  a  man 
newly  released  from  gaol:  he  felt  dazed,  vaguely 
happy  and  a  little  lost.  He  felt  dazed  because  he 
hadn't  remembered  that  the  world  was  so  wide  and  so 
complicated.  He  felt  lost  because  he  was  discover 
ing  that  this  wasn't  the  same  old  world  that  he  had 
left  in  1914.  It  hadn't  paid  him  the  compliment  of 
marking  time  during  his  absence;  it  had  marched 
impolitely  forward.  He  would  have  to  hurry  to 
overtake  it.  What  made  him  feel  most  lost  at  the 
moment  was  the  fact  that  he  had  only  just  realized 
how  his  bravest  years  had  been  escaping.  The  rea 
son  for  this  realization  was  Terry.  He  had  been 
accustomed  to  think  of  himself  as  in  the  first  flush  of 

7 


8    KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

manhood,  with  all  life's  conquests  still  lying  ahead; 
it  was  therefore  a  little  disconcerting  to  be  told,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  that  he  had  only  four  more  years 
to  go  till  he  was  forty.  "I'll  be  there  at  the  station 
to  meet  you,"  Terry  had  written  him.  And  then, 
she  had  added  laughingly,  "Father  orders  me  to  say 
that  he  only  gives  his  permission  because  you're  such 
an  old  friend  and  nearly  middle-aged." 

Middle-aged !  He,  Tabs,  middle-aged !  The 
thought  was  appalling.  It  was  a  slander  so  almost 
true  as  to  be  incapable  of  disproving.  He  had  to 
day,  to-morrow,  and  the  next  day ;  after  that  people 
would  have  the  right  to  say  of  him  that  he  was  mid 
dle-aged.  That  was  the  real  sacrifice  that  he  had 
made  in  the  war — he  had  given  to  it  the  last  of  his 
youth.  And  he  had  not  been  aware  of  this  until  he 
had  received  that  letter. 

Now  that  he  was  aware  of  it,  he  rebelled  against 
the  sacrifice.  He  refused  to  be  robbed.  He  would 
not  allow  himself  to  become  middle-aged.  Why,  he 
hadn't  begun  to  live  yet.  He'd  only  been  experi 
menting  up  to  the  point  when  the  war  had  started. 
He'd  been  thirty-one  then,  a  man  full  of  promise, 
and  now  he  was  dubbed  middle-aged.  He  remem 
bered  with  indignation  the  theory  that  men  of  forty 
ought  to  be  chloroformed  to  make  room  for  the 
younger  generation.  "But,  hang  it,  one's  years  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it,"  he  protested;  "in  my  spirit 
I  belong  to  the  younger  generation."  So,  to  the 
rumbling  accompaniment  of  the  train,  he  argued  his 
claims  passionately.  Had  he  formed  them  into  a 
petition  he  would  have  prayed,  "God,  make  me  young 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  9 

again."  It  would  have  been  because  of  Terry  that 
he  would  have  prayed. 

And  yet  he  was  happy — vaguely  happy,  as  any 
man  must  be  to  whom  the  right  to  live  has  been  re 
stored.  For  the  past  half  decade  his  horizon,  and 
that  of  all  the  men  with  whom  he  had  intimately  as 
sociated,  had  been  dwarfed  by  the  thought  of  dying. 
Throughout  that  period  he  had  dared  to  hope  for 
nothing  personal;  he  had  belonged  body  and  soul 
to  unseen  forces  which  had  hurried  him  without  ex 
planation  from  one  hell  to  another.  He  had  had  to 
subdue  his  pride  to  their  authority  and  to  train  his 
courage  to  contemplate  the  shock  of  annihilation. 
Now,  at  the  end  of  almost  five  years,  the  will  and 
the  body  which  had  been  so  ruthlessly  snatched  from 
him,  had  been  as  ruthlessly  flung  back  into  his  own 
keeping.  All  of  a  sudden,  after  having  been  enslaved 
in  every  detail,  his  will  and  body  were  set  free  and 
no  one  cared  what  became  of  them.  They  could 
be  his  playthings ;  he  was  allowed  to  do  with  them 
what  he  liked.  But  what  did  he  like?  It  was  a 
problem.  He  could  so  easily  spoil  them.  When  he 
reminded  himself  of  how  easily  he  could  spoil  them 
the  fear  of  death,  which  would  never  again  trouble 
him,  was  replaced  by  the  fear  of  failure.  He  was 
furious  to  find  that  he  was  still  capable  of  fearing. 
He  had  so  confidently  believed  that,  whatever  the 
past  five  years  had  stolen  from  him,  they  had  at 
least  brought  him  the  reward  of  never  again  knowing 
fear  of  any  sort. 

That  morning  by  the  earliest  train  he  had  shaken 
off  the  dust  of  camps  and  started  in  civilian  dress 


10   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

as  his  own  master  on  the  new  journey.  It  was  char 
acteristic  of  him  to  start  early  and  to  slip  out  of 
his  latest  phase  with  so  little  fuss.  For  the  first  two 
years  of  his  service,  while  men  of  his  class  were  gain 
ing  high  promotions,  he  had  served  in  the  ranks. 
He  had  done  it  as  a  uselessly  proud  protest.  In 
the  ranks  one  did  the  real  work,  faced  most  of  the 
danger  and  won  the  fewest  decorations.  He  had 
loved  the  ranks  for  their  quiet  self-effacement  and 
had  preferred  to  be  reckoned  in  their  number. 

It  had  been  dawn  when  he  had  started.  From  the 
top  of  the  hill  above  the  camp  he  had  gazed  back 
at  the  huddled,  sleeping  rows  of  hutments.  How 
lacking  in  individuality  they  were!  How  wilfully 
ugly !  You  could  see  their  like  in  the  rear  of  all 
armies.  The  military  mind  seemed  incapable  of 
appreciating  differences  and  beauty.  How  stereo 
typed  the  past  five  years  had  been;  yes,  and,  while 
the  danger  had  threatened,  how  ennobled  with  duty ! 
So  ennobled  that  there  had  been  times  when  it  had 
almost  seemed  that  he  was  on  the  point  of  finding 
his  kingdom. 

What  he  hadn't  expected  was  that  he  would  be 
alive  to-day.  With  that  thought  gratitude  had 
bubbled  up  and  he  had  limped  away,  whistling, 
through  dim  lanes  and  budding  hedgerows  to  the  lit 
tle  wayside  country  station. 

But  once  on  board  the  train  to  London,  he  began 
to  feel  more  like  a  fugitive  escaping  than  a  hero  re 
turning.  This  wasn't  the  end  of  soldiering  that 
imagination  had  painted.  There  had  been  strident 
bands  and  hysteric  shouting  to  start  him  on  his  way 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  11 

to  the  conflict.  There  had  been  pictorial  challenges 
to  his  courage  pasted  on  every  hoarding.  There  had 
been  extravagant  promises  of  the  welcome  which 
would  await  him  if  he  survived.  Who  remembered 
them  to-day?  He  hummed  over  the  words  of  the  lat 
est  promise,  "If  you  come  back,  and  you  will  come 
back,  the  whole  world's  waiting  for  you."  Was  it? 
He  doubted.  There  was  something  unpleasantly  fur 
tive  about  the  way  in  which  men  were  being  stripped 
of  their  outward  signs  of  valor  and  dribbled  back 
into  civilian  life.  It  almost  seemed  that  statesmen 
had  discovered  something  to  be  ashamed  of  in  the 
unforeseen  heroism  by  which  the  world  had  been  res 
cued. 

What  did  it  matter?  The  world  had  been  saved, 
and  he  had  helped  to  save  it.  No  one  could  deprive 
him  of  that  knowledge.  His  joy  leapt  up.  What 
did  it  matter  if  other  people  considered  him  nearly 
middle-aged  ?  He  and  Terry  must  prove  to  them  the 
contrary.  He  was  free;  that  was  what  counted. 
Free  to  reckon  his  life  by  more  than  stretches  of 
twenty-four  hours.  Free  to  rise  or  go  to  bed  when 
he  liked.  Free  to  travel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.; 
Free  to  speak  his  mind  without  the  dread  of  a  court- 
martial.  Never  again  would  he  be  compelled  to  issue 
orders  which  he  knew  to  be  unwise ;  never  again  would 
he  be  compelled  to  obey  them.  He  was  free.  And 
there  was  Terry 

II 

Across  the  carriage-windows  landscapes  went 
leaping :  the  bleak  clearness  of  brisk  March  skies ; 


12   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

the  shining  grayness  of  meadows  from  which  mists 
were  slowly  rising ;  the  faint  flush  of  greenness  whicl: 
was  gathering  in  hedges ;  the  shy  pageant  of  spring 
unfolding,  with  the  promised  certainty  of  new  sum 
mers  which  are  never  ending.  The  world  looked 
young.  As  the  train  dashed  by,  new-born  lambs, 
unused  to  such  disturbances,  tottered,  bleating,  after 
their  mothers.  Buds  were  bursting.  Sap  was  ris 
ing.  The  chapped  scars  of  winter  were  vanishing, 
Things  which  had  seemed  dead  were  being  convulsed 
with  life.  He  watched  it  all  gladly  and  yet  impa 
tiently  ;  it  was  for  the  end  of  the  journey  that  he  was 
waiting. 

On  nearing  London  the  train  slowed  down  as 
though  reluctant  to  leave  the  country.  Twice  it 
halted  and  he  consulted  his  wrist-watch  with  a  frown, 
Then  it  crept  through  Battersea,  wound  snake-like 
across  the  gleaming  Thames,  and  came  to  rest  in 
Victoria  Station.  Despite  his  lameness,  he  was  the 
first  passenger  to  alight.  He  had  no  luggage  to 
attend  to,  save  the  newly-purchased  bag  which  he 
carried.  He  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  down  the  plat 
form  ;  when  he  hurried  his  limp  became  more  pro 
nounced.  As  he  passed  through  the  barrier  he  slack 
ened  his  pace.  By  reason  of  his  greater  height  he 
could  glance  above  the  heads  of  the  crowd;  his  eyes 
went  questing  in  all  directions.  They  failed  to  find 
what  they  sought.  He  delayed  until  nearly  all  the 
people  from  the  incoming  trains  had  scuttled  into 
the  holes  of  the  Underground ;  then,  masking  his  dis 
appointment,  he  wandered  out  into  the  station-yard 
to  hail  a  taxi.  An  Army  Staff  car  was  drawn  up 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  IS 

against  the  curb.  A  thrill  of  hostility  shot  through 
him.  How  often,  in  the  old  days,  when  marching  up 
to  an  attack,  had  he  and  his  comrades  huddled  to 
the  side  of  the  road  like  sheep  that  these  khaki-col 
ored  collies  of  the  shepherds,  who  had  driven  them 
up  to  die,  might  splash  arrogantly  past  them!  He 
eyed  it  casually  and  was  passing  on,  when  a  girl  in 
the  back  seat  stood  up  frantically  waving.  She  was 
dressed  in  the  latest  whim  of  fashion ;  but  it  was  her 
that  he  saw  rather  than  her  appointments.  Her  gold 
bobbed  hair  was  like  a  Botticelli  angel's.  Her  eyes 
were  clear  and  deep  as  violets.  She  was  exquisitely 
vibrant  and  alive — scarcely  beautiful;  her  nose 
turned  up  and  was  too  short  for  that.  One  sought 
for  the  right  words  to  express  her  attraction.  Per 
haps  it  was  due  to  her  light-hearted  health  and  girl 
ish  freshness. 

As  he  came  up  eagerly,  limping  with  the  effort, 
she  reached  out  her  hand.  "Tabs,  fancy  you  not 
knowing  me !  I  don't  need  to  call  you  Lord  Tabor- 
ley,  do  I?  Between  us  it's  still  Tabs." 

"Terry  dear!  My  dear  Terry,  at  last!"  He 
spoke  queerly  as  though  he  had  been  running.  Then, 
seeing  how  his  intensity  startled  her,  he  let  go  her 
hand  and  laughed.  "You  can't  blame  me  for  not 
having  spotted  you.  Where's  all  your  beautiful  hair 
that  was  so  blowy?" 

She  glanced  up  through  her  lashes  at  the  tall  man. 
'  *I'm  growing  such  a  big  girl  now* — you  remember 
the  refrain  from  the  song  at  the  Gaiety?  That's 
why.  When  you  were  a  young  man,  girls  put  their 


14   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

hair  up  to  show  they  were  of  age;  now-a-dajs  they 
bob  it." 

"So  that's  the  explanation !"  He  climbed  in  and 
took  his  seat  beside  her.  "That's  another  thing  that 
disguised  you.  How  was  I  to  guess  that  you'd 
wangle  a  Staff  car  to  meet  an  ex-lieutenant?" 

"It  belongs  to  a  friend  at  the  War  Office."  She 
nodded  her  permission  to  the  trim  girl-soldier  at  the 
wheel  to  start.  "He  lent  it  to  me  when  he  heard  that 
I  was  to  meet  you  this  morning.  Taxis  are  so 
scarce,  and  I  didn't  know  how  well  you  could  walk, 

so "  She  turned  from  the  subject  abruptly. 

"You're  so  changed.  I  scarcely  recognized  you  at 
first.  I  was  expecting  that  you'd  still  be  in  uni 
form." 

"I  was  demobbed  yesterday.  So  you  find  me 
changed!  For  better  or  for  worse?  Confess, 
Terry." 

She  was  aware  that  beneath  his  assumption  of 
gayety  he  was  hiding  something — something  that 
pained.  He  had  been  hurt  too  much  already.  With 
impulsive  sympathy  she  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm. 
"It  isn't  a  case  of  better  or  worse.  Between  people 
like  ourselves  appearances  don't  matter.  I  think  to 
me  you  were  handsomest  of  all  as  a  Tommy.  How 
proud  I  was  of  you,  Tabs,  when  you  first  joined  up! 
Do  you  remember  how  I  used  to  strut  along  beside 

you And  that  last  night,  when  you  went  for  the 

first  time  to  the  Front?" 

He  remembered,  and  waited  with  boyish  expect 
ancy.  She  had  stopped  suddenly  and  glanced  away 
from  him.  For  the  second  time  his  intensity  had 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  15 

frightened  her.  He  said  nothing — did  nothing  to 
help  her.  She  mustered  her  courage  to  turn  back 
with  a  smile.  "It's  long  ago,  isn't  it,  Tabs?  I've 
grown  such  a  big  girl  now." 

He  brushed  aside  her  attempt  to  divert  him.  "But 
you  find  a  difference  in  me?" 

"A  difference!  You  mean  the  difference  between 
a  man  in  uniform  and  in  mufti?  Why,  yes.  A  uni 
form  made  you  look  younger..  It  did  that  for  most 
men." 

"But  more  for  me  than  for  most."  He  was  piti 
less  towards  himself  now  that  he  had  forced  her  to 
answer.  "I've  aged  more  than  the  five  years  since 
you  slipped  your  arm  into  mine  as  we  marched 
through  the  darkness  to  the  troop-train.  You  never 
shed  a  tear,  Terry.  You  kept  your  promise.  Often 
and  often  when  I  was  afraid  in  the  trenches  I  remem 
bered  you,  a  white  and  gold  slip  of  a  girl  with  dry 
eyes,  waving  and  waving.  And  then,  somehow,  be 
cause  you'd  kept  your  promise  not  to  cry " 

"Don't,"  she  whispered.  "Please  don't.  It's  all 
ended.  Everything's  new  and  beginning  afresh." 

"Beginning  with  you,"  he  questioned,  "where  it 
left  off?" 

If  she  heard  him,  she  ignored  the  interrogation  in 
his  voice. 

m 

The  girl-soldier  at  the  wheel  relieved  the  situation. 
Since  leaving  the  station  she  had  been  running  slower 
and  slower,  glancing  back  across  her  shoulder  and 
trying  to  catch  their  attention.  Just  short  of  the 


16   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

great  cross-roads  at  Hyde  Park  Corner  she  brought 
the  car  to  a  halt. 

"What's  the  matter,  Prentys?"  Terry  asked. 
"Anything  wrong?" 

"Nothing's  wrong,  miss ;  but  you've  not  told  me 
where  to  go." 

The  girl  spoke  so  reproachfully  that  Terry 
laughed.  "Awfully  sorry,  Prentys.  It's  Lord  Ta- 
borley's  fault.  He  didn't  tell  either  of  us.  What 
are  your  plans,  Tabs?  Where  do  you  want  to  go?" 

"To  go?" 

He  caught  at  her  question  and  examined  it.  To 
go — where  did  he  want  to  go?  He  had  been  so  cer 
tain  when  he  had  boarded  the  train  to  London  early 
that  morning.  Ever  since  he  had  said  good-by  to 
her,  nearly  five  years  ago,  he  had  known  quite  defi 
nitely.  Each  time  that  he  had  had  a  glimpse  of  her 
on  those  brief  leaves  from  the  Front,  he  had  been 
more  and  more  sure  of  the  desired  direction.  Her 
letters  coming  up  to  him  under  shell-fire  had  made 
him  even  more  certain — those  letters  compassionate 
with  unashamed  sincerity,  written  with  a  girl's  ad 
miration  for  a  man  who  was  jeopardizing  his  all  that 
she  might  live  in  safety. 

And  now,  when  he  was  free  at  last  to  go  where  he 
chose  and  she  herself  asked  him,  he  could  find  no 
answer  to  her  question.  Why  couldn't  he?  He 
looked  at  her  thoughtfully  with  the  frown  of  his 
problem  in  his  eyes.  What  change  had  come  over 
her?  Or  was  it  he  who  was  altered?  She  had  seemed 
so  absolutely  his  while  the  terror  of  battle  had  kept 
them  apart.  She  had  written  and  acted  as  though 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  17 

she  was  his  right  up  to Yes,  right  up  to  the 

point  when  he  had  been  in  a  position  to  claim  her. 

Between  him  and  Terry  there  had  been  no  en 
gagement — only  a  wealth  of  interchanged  affection; 
interchanged  for  the  most  part  on  paper.  Once  and 
only  once  had  marriage  been  mentioned — on  the 
night  that  he  had  set  out  for  the  first  time  for  the 
Front.  "You  won't  ask  me,  Tabs ;  I  know  that. 
You're  too  honorable.  So  I've  got  to  say  it.  When 
you  come  back  I'm  going  to  marry  you." 

"//  I  come  back,  little  Terry,"  he  had  corrected. 

"But  you  will — you  must,"  she  had  pleaded,  "for 
my  sake." 

"I'll  try.  I'll  try  so  hard,"  he  had  promised. 
"But  I  won't  marry  you  till  I'm  out  of  khaki  or  the 
war  is  ended." 

"And  I'll  meet  you  at  the  train  the  moment  you're 
free  and  we'll  be  married  that  very  day." 

All  this  five  years  ago  on  a  murky  station  in  the 
tragedy  of  parting,  while  Belgium  was  being  tram 
pled  and  the  troop-train  waited.  She  had  eluded  the 
vigilance  of  her  parents  and  had  met  him  outside 
the  barracks,  without  forewarning.  Through  the 
gloom  of  streets  and  the  blur  of  the  accompanying 
crowd,  he  had  seen  her  face  loom  up.  Her  arm  had 
slipped  through  his  ;  she  had  marched  beside  him  like 
any  Tommy's  sweetheart.  She  had  been  seventeen  at 
the  time;  to-day  she  was  two-and-twenty.  In  the 
years  that  had  followed  he  had  taken  no  step  to 
make  that  girlish  promise  binding,  yet  increasingly 
its  fulfillment  had  been  the  goal  towards  which  he 
had  struggled. 


18   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

After  she  had  joined  Lady  Dawn's  Nursing  Unit 
and  had  gone  to  France  he  had  missed  her  on  his 
leaves ;  by  some  fatality  they  had  been  always  miss 
ing.  She  had  existed  for  him  only  in  their  corre 
spondence  and  in  his  vivid  imagination.  And  now, 
after  so  much  hoping,  she  had  become  again  a  real 
ity.  He  had  been  prepared  for  strangeness,  but 

not  for Was  it  her  youth,  which  was  to  have 

flung  wide  all  doors,  that  formed  the  barricade? 
Her  youth  which,  if  shared,  would  have  put  back 
the  hands  on  the  face  of  Time!  Her  relentless, 
flaunting  youth!  Youth  which  is  forever  hostile  to 
age! 

Her  growing  and  puzzled  expression  of  impatience 
forced  him  to  narrow  his  answer  to  the  requirements 
of  the  moment.  "What  are  my  plans,  you  asked?  I 
haven't  any.  I'm  a  man  at  a  loose  end  and  at  a  bo- 
ginning — like  all  the  world,  as  you  yourself  just 
stated." 

"Yes,  but " 

"I  know  what  you're  going  to  say — that  every  one 
has  to  live  somewhere.  I  have  a  place  all  right — 
my  old  place." 

"Shall  I  tell  Prentys  to  drive  you  there?" 

He  shook  his  head  and  thrust  out  his  long  legs, 
throwing  his  weight  more  heavily  against  the  cush 
ions.  "Not  unless  you  didn't  read  my  letter." 

Her  habitual  sunniness  clouded.  "Tabs,  you're 
trying  to  be  beastty.  If  I  hadn't  read  it,  I  shouldn't 
have  known  to  have  met  you,  or  when,  or  where." 

"Then  you  remember  that  it  reminded  you 
of " 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  19 

She  cut  him  short,  glancing  furtively  at  the  girl 
at  the  wheel  to  see  whether  she  had  been  listening. 
"I  don't  forget  easily.  Where  do  you  want  to  go? 
Would  a  run  into  the  country  suit  you?" 

"Excellently." 

"In  what  direction?" 

"Makes  no  difference." 

She  whispered  something  to  the  girl ;  the  car  semi- 
circled  and  gathered  speed,  shooting  through  the 
traffic  which  was  lumbering  towards  the  Fulham 
Road  and  Surrey. 

Now  that  he  had  gained  his  point,  he  didn't  seem 
inclined  for  conversation.  He  lolled  back  with  his 
eyes  half-shut;  she  sat  bolt  upright,  ignoring  his 
presence. 

He  recalled  to-day  as  he  had  pictured  it.  Terry 
was  to  have  been  still  the  girl-woman  who  had  wanted 
him  so  badly  that  she  had  been  brave  enough  to  ask 
for  him.  She  was  to  have  been  precisely  and  in  every 
detail  the  girl  from  whom  he  had  parted.  She  was 
to  have  been  on  the  platform  waiting  for  him,  and 
he.  ... 

Pshaw!  What  a  sentimentalist  and  how  easily 
disappointed !  The  old  fight  was  still  on  in  another 
form.  It  was  never  ended.  Life  was  a  fight  from 
start  to  finish,  calling  for  new  and  yet  newer  cour 
age.  He  refused  to  be  defeated.  He  would  not  be 
embittered.  He  would  win  His  kingdom  round  the 
corner,  even  though  it  proved  to  be  a  different  king 
dom  from  the  one  he  had  expected.  Terry  couldn't 
have  stayed  seventeen  always,  which  was  the  miracle 
h#  had  demanded.  She  was  a  woman.  He  would 


20   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

have  to  teach  her  to  love  him  afresh.  There  was  no 
time  to  be  lost.  For  all  he  knew  there  might  be  a 
rival — perhaps  the  mysterious  some  one  at  the  War 
Office  who  had  lent  her  this  car.  He  leant  forward 
go od-humo redly,  touching  her  hand  to  attract  her 
attention,  "Terry." 

IV 

She  turned  slowly,  almost  reluctantly.  What  new 
and  disturbing  question  was  he  going  to  ask?  She 
hadn't  been  prepared  for  this  altered  man  with  his 
limp  and  his  gauntness  and  his  strained  intensity. 
She  couldn't  bring  herself  to  believe  that  this  grave, 
spent,  unlaughing  person  at  her  side  was  Tabs,  the 
gallant,  care-free  comrade  she  had  asked  to  marry 
her.  She  was  shocked  both  at  him  and  at  herself. 
And  she  had  wanted  to  be  so  glad — to  make  him  feel 
that  every  one  was  so  happy  at  having  him  back 

"Terry." 

At  the  sound  of  her  name,  spoken  like  that,  a  little 
thrill  of  his  old-time  power  stirred  her;  it  traveled 
up  to  her  eyes,  so  that  she  had  to  press  back  the 
tears  before  she  turned. 

"Terry,  it  was  sentimental  blackmail.    I'm  sorry." 

"What  was?    I  don't  understand." 

"That  last  letter.  I  oughtn't  to  have  reminded 
you.  What  one  promises  at  seventeen  doesn't  hold 
good.  It  was  sporting  of  you  to  keep  the  promise 

by  meeting  me  this  morning,  but What  I'm 

trying  to  say  is  this ;  I'm  forgetting  everything  that 
you  would  like  me  to  forget." 

"But  I'm  not  sure  that  I  want  you  to  forget  any- 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  21 

thing."  She  widened  her  lips  into  a  smile  from  which 
the  trouble  was  only  half  dispelled.  "It  sounds 
horrid  and  unfriendly,  this  talk  of  forgetting,  as 

though It  sounds  so  much  worse  when  it's  put 

into  words,  as  though  we  had  something  of  which  to 
be  ashamed." 

"No,  it's  not  like  that.  May  I  be  terrifically 
honest — just  as  we  used?" 

She  eyed  him  doubtfully.  It  was  evident  that  she 
was  still  timid  of  the  truth.  Then  she  nodded. 

"Well,  you  know  how  it  was  between  us  before 
I  went  away.  You  were  of  an  age  when  most  people 
still  thought  of  you  as  a  child.  You  were  outwardly, 
but  inside  you  were  almost  a  woman.  The  little  girl 
did  things  and  promised  things  that  the  woman 
wouldn't  approve  to-day.  And  then  take  my  side  of 
it.  I  went  out  to  a  place  where  life  seemed  at  an 
end  and  where,  because  of  that,  one  became  selfish 
in  the  demands  he  made  on  the  people  whom  he  had 
left  behind — especially  on  the  wTomen.  It  was  impos 
sible  to  be  normal ;  probably  I'm  not  quite  normal 
now.  But  the  point  is  this:  every  man  in  khaki 
thought  intensely  of  some  one  girl.  It  didn't  matter 
whether  he  had  the  right  to  think  of  her;  he  just 
thought  of  her,  and  wrote  to  her,  and  carried  her 
photo  with  him  up  to  an  attack,  as  if  he  had  the 
right.  He  wasn't  even  much  disturbed  as  to  whether, 
in  allowing  him  to  love  her,  she  loved  him  in  return 
or  was  merely  being  patriotic;  he  didn't  expect  to 
live  to  put  things  to  a  test.  All  he  wanted  was  the 
belief  that  one  woman  loved  him.  You  understand, 
she  was  very  often  only  a  make-shift — a  sym- 


22   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

bol  for  the  woman  he  would  have  married  if  death 
hadn't  been  in  such  a  hurry.  Well,  for  some  of  us 
Death  has  had  time  to  spare  and  we've  come  back — 
come  back  starved,  emotional,  tyrannic — passionate 
to  possess  all  the  things  for  which  our  hearts  have 
hungered  and  of  which  they  have  been  deprived  so 
long.  It  was  easy  to  strip  ourselves  of  everything 
when  we  thought  we  were  going  to  die.  But  now  that 
we  know  we're  going  to  live  we're  tempted  to  re 
cover  some  of  our  lost  years  by  violence.  You  must 
be  patient  with  us,  Terry ;  we're  sick  children, 
querulous,  eager  to  take  offense  and  over-exacting. 
I  was  like  that  when  I  blackmailed  you  into  meeting 
me  this  morning.  It  was  unworthy  of  me  to  have 
treated  that  child's  promise  as  binding." 

"But  I  was  seventeen ;  I  wasn't  a  child.  And  I 
wanted  to  meet  you — I  did  truly." 

"Letting  me  down  lightly?"  he  smiled. 

"No,  an  honest  fact." 

When  he  gazed  at  her  with  kindly  incredulity,  she 
edged  herself  closer  and  bent  forward  in  a  generous 
effort  to  persuade  him. 

"Don't  you  see  that  what  you've  said  of  yourself 
was  true  of  me  as  well?" 

"I  wasn't  talking  in  particular  of  myself,"  he 
parried ;  "I  was  including  all  the  other  men." 

"Yes,  but  especially  of  yourself.  It  was  of  your 
self  that  you  were  talking.  What  you've  said  of 
yourself  is  true  of  me  and — oh,  of  almost  all  women. 
We  saw  you  men  march  away;  you  seemed  lost  to 
us  forever.  Everything  seemecl  at  an  end.  So  we 
did  what  you  did — chose  one  man  who  would  em- 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  23 

body  all  our  dreams  and  become  especially  ours. 
We  wrote  to  him,  shopped  for  him,  placed  his  por 
trait  on  our  dressing-tables,  were  anxious  for  him 
and,  oh,  so  proud  of  him.  We  didn't  stop  to  ask 
whether  he  was  the  man  with  whom  we  could  live 
for  always.  There  wasn't  any  always.  It  didn't 
look  as  though  there  was  ever  again  going  to  be  any 
always.  And  then  the  horror  stopped  and  we  found 
ourselves  with  a  man  on  our  hands — a  man  who, 
though  we  had  known  him  so  well,  would  come  back 
to  us  different.  We  hadn't  meant  to  cheat  him  when 
we  made  all  those  promises ;  but  now  that  he's  really 

ours,  we're  not  sure  that  we All  the  ecstasies 

and  tears  that  we  wrote  to  him  on  paper "     She 

made  a  helpless  gesture  with  her  hands.  "They 
don't  seem  real.  It's  not  our  fault.  They  belonged 
to  the  part  of  nurses  and  soldiers  that  we  were  act 
ing.  And  now  we've  slipped  out  by  the  stage-door 
and  we've  become  ourselves.  Don't  you  see,  Tabs, 
we  men  and  girls  have  got  to  find  out  afresh  who 
we  are?  We've  almost  forgotten." 

She  seemed  to  have  made  an  end,  when  something 
else  occurred  to  her.  She  recommenced  hurriedly, 
"We  women  have  been  spendthrifts,  too ;  we've  given 
away  more  than  was  wise — little  bits  of  ourselves, 
not  always  to  the  one  man — sometimes  in  the  wrong 
directions.  But  which  is  the  right  direction? 
When  people  who  were  risking  so  much  for  us  begged 
for  a  little  of  our  affection,  we  never  thought  of 
that.  We  simply  gave  recklessly — little  bits  of  our 
selves.  Now  that  we've  regained  a  future,  with  room 
for  remorse  and  things  like  that,  we've  become  sud- 


24   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

denly  cautious.  The  swing  of  the  pendulum " 

She  turned  to  him,  as  though  proffering  a  smile  for 
his  forgiveness,  "It's  our  sudden  caution  that  makes 
us  seem  mean  and  ungracious.  But  I  was  tremen 
dously  interested  about  meeting  you." 

"Interested!  Not  glad  or  ecstatic.  It's  a  long 
road  from  dreams  to  facts." 

"Yes." 

She  said  it  humbly.  He  tried  to  catch  the  expres 
sion  in  her  eyes,  but  all  he  saw  was  the  flickering 
gold  of  her  hair  as  the  wind  tossed  it  against  the 
rounded  whiteness  of  her  neck.  His  brain  kept 
muttering,  "Little  bits  of  herself!  What  did  she 
mean  by  that?" 

A  barrel-organ  was  grinding  out  a  tune;  children 
danced  in  the  sunshine  on  the  pavement.  As  they 
flashed  down  the  street  the  music  followed  them. 
She  twisted  to  look  back  and  he  caught  her  eyes. 
"Tabs,  do  you  know  what  it's  playing?" 

"Can't  say  I  do." 

"It's  out  of  the  Elsie  Janis  revue  at  The  Palace. 
I  think  it  was  written  especially  for  this  moment." 
She  listened  till  the  air  reached  the  refrain  and  then 
sang  the  words,  "Apres  la  guerre,  there'll  be  a  good 
twne  everywhere" 

His  stern  face  relaxed  at  her  childishness.  "Will 
there,  Terry?  I  hope  so.  Musical  chaps  aren't  re 
liable  authorities.  They're — 

"You  must  Tcnow  so,"  she  interrupted  valiantly. 
Then,  forgetting  her  caution,  she  slipped  her  small 
gloved  fingers  into  the  palm  of  his  big  brown  hand. 
"You  must.  Even  though  I  disappoint  you  ever  so 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  25 

badly,  you  must  know  so,  dear  Tabs.  You  must 
seize  your  own  good  time  at  whatever  cost.  One  girl 
isn't  all  the  world." 


"I  wonder  whether  what  we've  been  saying  ex 
plains  Adair." 

They  were  crossing  one  of  the  bridges  over  the 
Thames.  He  wasn't  sure  which  one.  Moreover,  he 
didn't  care ;  it  was  enough  for  him  that,  wherever  they 
were  going,  they  were  going  together — racing  into  a 
sun-crazed  world  where  spring  romped  and  shouted 
like  a  hoyden.  Above  lazy  chimney-pots  trees  patched 
the  sky-line  with  sudden  greenness.  At  a  greater 
distance  soft  contours  of  hills  lay  shadowed  beneath 
stampeding  clouds.  Coldly  silver  beneath  the 
bridge  the  river  flashed,  dimpled  here  and  there  by 
rapid  feet  where  breezes,  like  adventurous  children, 
rushed  across  it.  He  noted  the  bowed  windows  of 
little  houses  along  the  banks,  their  whitened  steps 
and  shining  brasses.  He  caught  the  far-blown 
fragrance  of  hyacinths;  it  set  him  dreaming  of 
drifting  bloom  and  flower-strewn  ways  of  wood 
lands.  A  happy  world,  whatever  the  mental  state 
of  its  inhabitants !  A  world  which  was  doing  its 
bravest  best  to  play  the  game  by  mankind !  A  world 
which  was  whispering  at  every  portal  of  the  senses 
that  the  business  of  living  was  immensely  worth 

while !  A  world  which !  He  had  reached  this 

point,  when  the  mention  of  Adair  brought  him  back 
to  the  cause  of  his  philosophizing — the  inscrutable 
tenderness  of  the  girl,  half  sorceress,  half  penitent, 


26   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

seated  at  his  side.  She  had  recovered  her  calmness 
by  withdrawing  her  thin  fingers  from  his  enclosing 
hand. 

Adair  Easterday !  He  didn't  want  to  discuss  him; 
he  had  more  important  things  to  talk  about.  Speak 
ing  absent-mindedly,  "Adair  doesn't  need  any  ex 
plaining,"  he  said. 

"Oh,  doesn't  he?"  she  laughed  softly  and  looked 
away,  creating  the  impression  that  she  was  leaving 
volumes  unexpressed. 

Her  air  of  wisdom  provoked  him.  "Well,  I've 
known  him  since  we  were  boys  at  school  together 
and  I've  never  found  him  much  of  a  conundrum. 
He's  brilliant,  and  lazy,  and  kind.  I  think  of  all 
the  men  I've  known  he's  the  one  who's  most  truly 
a  gentleman ;  he's  the  one  who  has  given  most  prom 
ise  and  who  has  fewest  accomplishments  to  his  credit. 
He  may  have  puzzled  you  as  his  sister-in-law;  but 
to  me,  a  man  of  his  own  age,  he  presents  no  mys 
tery.  If  anything  he's  too  obvious;  that  and  the 
fact  that  he  allows  himself  to  be  too  much  absorbed 
by  his  wife  are  two  of  the  reasons  for  his  lack  of 
success." 

"He  doesn't  allow  himself  to  be  too  much  absorbed 
by  his  wife  now."  She  had  turned  deliberately  that 
she  might  watch  the  effect  of  her  words.  "He 
doesn't  even  pretend  to  care  for  Phyllis  any  longer." 

"Not  care  for  her — his  own  wife!  Nonsense! 
You  can't  make  me  believe  that."  Then  he  reined 
himself  in,  for  he  suddenly  realized  that  he  was 
unconsciously  adopting  the  tones  of  an  elder. 
"That  was  a  terribly  modern  accusation  for  you 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  27 

to  make,  Terry,  just  as  if  loyalties  and  affections 
were  ostrich-plumes  and  ermine  to  be  worn  or  dis 
carded  with  the  fashion." 

"That's  just  what  they  do  seem  to  have  become 
since  we've  all  stopped  fighting,"  she  persisted. 
"And  please  don't  look  at  me  like  that,  Tabs,  as 
though  you  were  my  commanding-officer.  I'm  not 
trying  to  be  a  cynical  young  person;  I'm  simply 
stating  facts.  Look  at  all  the  men  for  whom  the 
war  was  a  social  leg-up.  They  were  plumbers  and 
bank-clerks  and  dentists  in  1914 ;  by  the  end  of  1918 
they  were  Majors  and  Colonels  and  Brigadiers. 
They  didn't  know  where  the  West  End  was  till  they 
got  into  uniforms.  Since  then  they've  learnt  the 
way  into  all  the  clubs  and  fashionable  hotels; 
they've  spent  money  like  water;  they've  been  the 
companions  of  men  and  women  whom  they  couldn't 
have  hoped  to  have  met  unless  the  war  had  shaken 
us  all  out  of  our  class-snobbishness.  But  now  that 
the  war's  ended,  these  men  whom  every  one  flattered 
for  their  bravery  and  whose  social  failings  they  ex 
cused  while  there  was  fighting  to  be  done,  have 
become  worse  snobs  than  ourselves.  They've  been 
educated  out  of  the  class  for  which  they  were  fitted. 
War  was  their  chance;  it's  ended,  and  now  they 
have  to  go  back  to  their  humble  jobs,  which  are  the 
only  ones  by  which  they  can  gain  a  livelihood. 
Worse  still,  they've  got  to  go  back  to  their  wives, 
who  haven't  shared  their  grandeurs,  but  who've 
played  the  game  by  them,  taking  care  of  their  chil 
dren  and  standing  by  the  wash-tub.  Some  of  them 
can't  face  up  to  the  change.  Peace  has  turned  the 


28   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

world  up-side-down.  We're  walking  on  our  heads. 
You're  just  out  of  hospital,  but  you'll  know  what 
I  mean  when  you've  been  a  week  in  London." 

"But  nothing  of  what  you've  been  saying  applies 
to  Adair  Easterday,"  he  objected.  "He  wasn't  a 
profiteer  in  khaki ;  he  wasn't  even  in  khaki.  He  made 
nothing;  he  lost  nearly  everything  he  had.  More 
over,  whatever  faults  he  may  have,  he's  always  been 
a  thorough-bred — a  stickler  for  honor;  the  kind  of 
chap  who,  if  he  had  to  sink,  would  go  down  with 
all  his  colors  flying.  Where  his  wife  is  concerned, 
he's  a  lover-for-all-time  kind  of  fellow." 

She  shook  her  head  obstinately.  "He  isn't  now. 
He's  standing  on  his  head  like  the  rest  of  us." 

"I'm  certain  you're  mistaken."  He  paused,  half- 
minded  to  let  the  matter  rest.  He  hated  this  con 
tending.  In  the  old  days  he  and  Terry  had  never 
argued.  He  glanced  at  her;  she  was  smiling  in  a 
sorry,  amused  fashion.  It  made  him  feel  that  in 
accusing  Adair  she  had  cast  suspicion  on  every  man's 
constancy — his  own  included.  Reluctantly  he  set 
himself  to  prove  to  her  that  she  was  incorrect. 

"When  you  were  in  France  with  Lady  Dawn's 
Nursing  Unit,  I  spent  most  of  my  leaves  with 
Phyllis  and  Adair.  We  went  about  together.  I 
lived  in  their  house,  got  to  love  their  kiddies,  knew 
all  that  went  on  there.  I  think  a  part  of  my  motive 
was  that  being  with  your  sister  seemed  to  bring 
you  nearer.  I'm  not  going  to  pretend  that  I  didn't 
notice  frictions  and  irritations.  Adair  was  humili 
ated  at  being  rejected  by  the  Army  because  he 
wasn't  up  to  physical  standards.  He  tried  every 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  29 

trick,  but  was  always  turned  down.  He  didn't  like 
to  be  seen  about  town ;  he  felt  that  people  were 
accusing  him  of  being  a  slacker.  He  looked  so  well 
that  he  had  always  to  be  explaining  why  he  wasn't 
in  the  trenches.  It  tried  his  temper.  Wherever  he 
went  soldiers  were  being  treated  as  heroes.  Women 
were  pleased  to  be  seen  escorted  by  a  uniform — his 
own  wife  as  well.  And  I'm  bound  to  say  Phyllis 
didn't  help  him.  She  prided  herself  on  having  held 
on  to  her  man  as  though  it  were  something  that 
she'd  done  herself.  Adair  used  to  flare  up  in  a  pas 
sion  and  tell  her  not  to  be  a  fool;  then,  because  her 
foolishness  was  all  because  she  loved  him,  her  feelings 
were  hurt.  But  to  say  that  he  doesn't  love  her  is  an 
exaggeration.  If  there's  anything  the  matter,  the 
trouble  is  not  with  his  heart  but  with  his  nerves." 

"Then    you    really    haven't    heard?     I    thought 
everybody —  She    stifled    a    yawn.      "It's    the 

wind  against  my  face.  It  always  makes  me  sleepy," 
she  apologized.  "Since  you  haven't  heard,  I  sup 
pose  I  oughtn't  to  tell  you.  He's  become  the  sort 
of  skeleton  in  our  family  cupboard —  You're  still 
incredulous !  That  will  please  mother.  She'll  be 
almost  happy  when  she  learns  that  there's  at  least 
one  person  who  hasn't  been  told  about  it.  She 
thinks  that  all  the  world  talks  of  nothing  else.  As 
for  Daddy,  Phyllis  was  always  his  favorite  and  he 
adores  her  children.  He  goes  about  trying  to  find 
some  one  who'll  volunteer  to  horsewhip  Adair.  I 
can't  say  that  I  feel  that  way  myself.'*  Her  hand 
stole  out  and  touched  his  arm  caressingly;  it  seemed 
as  though  she  were  appealing  for  herself.  "We've 


30       KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

all  either  done  or  are  on  the  verge  of  doing  some 
thing  foolish  that  we're  sure  to  regret.  It's  not  a 
time  to  be  hard  on  anybody.  To-morrow  we  may 
stand  in  need  of  sympathy  ourselves.  Horror  has 
shell-shocked  every  one,  civilians  as  well  as  fighting- 
men.  The  blackness  of  insecurity !  We're  all 

convalescing."  She  halted  abruptly,  biting  her  fip 
and  peering  at  him,  suddenly  aware  that  she  had 
been  confessing  herself.  When  he  only  looked 
puzzled,  she  finished  lightly,  "So,  you  see,  Tabs, 
though  you'll  think  me  terribly  immoral,  I  keep  a 
soft  place  in  my  heart  for  our  skeleton." 

"But  you  don't  tell  me  anything  positive,"  he  com 
plained.  "What  has  Adair  done?" 

"Done!"  She  stared  at  him.  "That's  what  I 
have  been  telling  you.  He's  fallen  in  love  with  some 
one  else." 

He  was  unwilling  to  believe  what  he  had  heard. 

"Some  one  else !  Impossible ! I'm  sorry, 

Terry;  I  didn't  mean  that  I  doubted  your  word. 

You  mustn't  be  offended,  but I'm  picturing 

Phyllis.  At  her  best  she  was  good  and  sweet  and 
pretty  enough  to  hold  any  man.  She  was  such  a  loyal 
little  pal — only  second  best  to  you,  Terry.  And 
Adair — he  was  such  a  white  man,  so  patient  with 
her  and  so  devoted  to  the  kiddies.  I  can't  see  him 
in  the  role  of  a  runaway.  And  what  on  earth  would 
he  gain  by  it  that  he  hasn't  got  already?  I  don't 

want  to  think  that  what  you've  told  me It 

makes  all  fidelity  seem  so  contemptibly  temporary." 

Terry  spoke  gently.  "Not  that.  It's  infidelity 
that  is  temporary.  A  lot  of  us  are  unfaithful  for 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  31 

the  moment — it's  a  symptom  of  our  illness.  You 
said  something  a  little  while  ago  about  trying  to 
regain  one's  lost  years  by  violence — that's  what 
he's  doing.  He's  mislaid  the  knack  of  happiness  with 
Phyllis;  he's  trying  to  recover  it  with  some  one 
else." 

Tabs  was  still  rebelling  against  the  facts.  "But 
he  was  such  a  staid  old  fellow." 

Terry  ignored  his  discursiveness.  "I  don't  think 
I've  done  wrong  in  letting  you  into  our  family 
secrets*  You'll  be  made  a  part  of  them  as  soon  as 
you  meet  Daddy.  When  he  heard  that  you  were 
coming  to  town  and  that  I  was  going  to  see  you, 
he  said,  'Thank  God  for  that.  Taborley  will  be 
able  to  do  something.'  He  has  a  pathetic  belief 
in  you,  Tabs.  One  of  the  reasons  why  I  was  at 
the  station  this  morning  was  that  I  might  have  the 
chance  to  tell  you  first,  before  any  one  else  had 
prejudiced  you  with  bitterness.  Daddy  wants  you 
to  dine  with  him  to-night.  He  expects  you  to  be 
the  kind  of  moral  policeman  who  makes  the  arrest. 
But  it  can't  be  done  with  morality.  I  don't  think 
even  you  could  manage  to  persuade  Adair  at  the 
present — not  with  moral  arguments,  anyhow." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  I've  seen  lier" 

VI 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  a  sound  like  a  pistol- 
shot  occurred.  The  car  commenced  to  bump.  The 


32   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

girl-driver  applied  the  brakes,  guided  the  car  to 
the  side  of  the  road  and  jumped  out. 

"Quite  like  the  Front,"  Terry  cried  cheerfully; 
"I  expect  you  feel  at  home  when  you  hear  a  noise 
like  that." 

Tabs  looked  round.  He  had  been  too  busy  talking 
to  notice  where  they  were.  To  the  right,  through 
wind-rumpled,  tree-dotted  meadows  ran  the  Thames, 
still  intensely  silver  in  the  sunshine,  but  somehow 
blither  and  more  young  than  in  London.  Clouds 
flew  high;  everything  was  riotously  spacious.  Scat 
tered  through  the  vivid  stretch  of  landscape  ivy- 
covered  houses  stood  squarely  in  their  park-lands. 
Set  down  in  the  level  distance,  like  children's  toys, 
cattle  browsed.  The  quiet  greenness  had  become 
starred  as  far  as  eye  could  carry  with  a  gentle  rain 
of  myriad  tinted  petals. 

"The  car's  got  a  sense  of  beauty,"  he  laughed; 
"it  chooses  carefully  when  it  wants  to  break  down." 

"And  it's  all  at  the  Government's  expense,"  Terry 
smiled,  glancing  back  at  him  across  her  shoulder 
as  she  scrambled  out.  "So  it's  a  back  tire.  How 
long  will  it  take  to  put  right,  Prentys? —  Then 
we  may  as  well  walk  and  let  you  overtake  us.  I 
don't  think  we're  more  than  a  mile  from  Old  Wind 
sor.  We'll  get  something  to  eat  at  the  little  inn  by 
the  riverside.  You  remember  the  one  I  mean? 
We've  been  there  several  tunes  when  the  General  was 
with  us." 

"What  General  is  that?"  Tabs  asked  as  they 
trudged  along  between  the  hedges. 

"The  General  who  lent  me  the  car,"  she  replied. 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  33 

"Oh,  your  friend  at  the  War  Office!  I  suppose 
he's  one  of  the  dug-outs  who's  been  there  all  the 
time." 

"He  isn't.  He  rose  from  the  ranks.  He's  only 
been  at  a  desk  job  since  the  Armistice."  She  spoke 
defensively,  with  a  certain  resentment.  Tabs  was 
quick  to  detect  the  sharpness  in  her  voice.  "I'm 
sorry,"  he  apologized;  "I  didn't  mean  anything  un 
kind." 

She  halted  with  a  sudden  gesture  of  concern.  "I 
am  inconsiderate.  I  never  thought  of  it.  Won't 
this  walking  wear  you  out?" 

"She's  changing  the  subject,"  he  told  himself.  "I 
wonder  why?"  Aloud  he  said,  "Not  a  bit.  But  I 
can't  stride  along  the  way  we  used  in  the  old  days." 

Branching  off  to  the  right,  they  came  down  to  a 
little  inn  by  the  water-side.  It  was  shabby  with 
the  look  of  disrepair  which  all  inns  had  at  that 
time.  Its  paint  was  chapped  and  faded ;  its  windows 
cracked  and  held  together  by  pasted  strips  of  paper. 
The  putty  had  perished  in  places,  so  that  some  of  the 
panes  were  on  the  point  of  falling  out.  Neverthe 
less,  it  had  a  brave  look  of  carrying  on  trium 
phantly,  for  tulips  and  crocuses  were  springing  neat 
as  ever  from  the  turf  and  it  was  over-hung  by  a 
green  mist  of  trees  just  coming  into  leafage.  They 
entered  and  took  their  seats  at  a  table  from  which 
they  could  watch  the  pale  flowing  of  the  river 
through  the  spangled  peace  of  the  outside  world. 

"It  was  lucky  we  broke  down."  Terry  sat  watch 
ing  him  with  her  square  little  face  cushioned  in  her 
hands.  "You  see  I'm  training  myself  to  believe," 


34   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

she    explained,    uthat   everything   happens    for   the 
best." 

"A  comforting  philosophy  for  the  lazy,"  he 
smiled.  "It  lets  us  all  out  of  resisting  temptation. 
Why  resist  anything,  if  everything  happens  for  the 
best?  If  it  were  true,  it  would  give  us  the  license  to 
be  as  flabby  as  we  liked — /rhich  rather  falls  in  line 
with  what  we  were  saying  about  Adair.  But  who  is 
she — this  woman?  You  say  you've  seen  her." 

"You'll  know  soon  enough  for  your  peace  of  mind 
— probably  you'll  see  her  yourself  before  the  day 
is  out." 

"But  can't  you  even  tell  me  her  name?" 
"Her  name's  Maisie  Lockwood  for  the  present." 
"For  the  present!     Why  for  the  present?" 
"Because  one's  never  certain  about  Maisie.     She 
was  Maisie  Gervis  once  and  Maisie  Pollock  before 
that ;   there  must  have  been   a  time  when  she  was 
Maisie  Something  Else." 

Tabs  couldn't  quite  make  up  his  mind  whether  he 
ought  to  laugh  or  frown.  The  suspicion  had  crossed 
his  mind  that  this  composed  imp  of  a  girl,  who  could 
look  so  immensely  the  young  lady  when  she  liked, 
was  playing  a  sly  game  with  him.  However  he  pre 
tended  to  take  her  seriously.  "In  most  social  sets 
names  are  fairly  permanent." 

Terry  laughed  outright  and  looked  away  from 
him,  following  the  river  with  her  eyes.  "There's 
nothing  permanent  about  Maisie.  I  think  that's  her 
attraction ;  that's  what  makes  people  forgive  her 
everything.  She  starts  each  day  afresh — it  really 
is  a  new  day  for  her,  with  no  old  hates  or  griefs  or 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  35 

dreads  to  drag  her  down.  She  has  no  regrets  be 
cause  she  remembers  nothing.  Whatever  happened 
yesterday  she  puts  out  of  mind;  she  forgets  every 
thing  except  her  willingness  to  be  friends." 

"Her  names  as  well,  according  to  your  account." 

"Yes,  there's  no  denying  that.  Until  the  war 
ended,  if  you'd  not  seen  her  for  a  month,  you  were 
never  quite  sure  how  you  ought  to  address  her. 
Even  now  one's  liable  to  make  a  mistake.  To-day 
she's  Maisie  Lockwood ;  to-morrow  she  may  be 
Maisie  Anything — Mrs.  Adair  Easterday,  perhaps." 

Under  her  willful  mystifications  his  calmness  was 
getting  ruffled.  While  he  listened  to  her,  he  kept 
comparing  this  day  with  the  other  day  that  his 
imagination  had  painted.  The  world  was  to  have 
been  so  much  better  and  kinder  when  the  agony 
of  the  trenches  was  ended.  It  was  in  order  that  it 
might  be  better  that  so  many  men  had  not  come 
back.  And  this  was  the  kinder  world — a  world  in 
which  men,  saved  from  the  jaws  of  death,  met  the 
girls  they  had  loved  as  strangers,  in  whose  presence, 
if  they  were  to  avoid  offense,  they  must  pick  their 
words !  A  world  full  of  men  like  Adair,  who  had  been 
honorable  until  others  had  made  them  safe  by  their 
sacrifice,  and  of  women  like  Maisie  of  the  many 
names,  who  forgot  her  yesterdays  that  she  might 
seize  her  selfish  personal  happiness  1 

"Terry,"  he  spoke  with  a  show  of  patience,  "do 
you  think  it's  a  matter  about  which  to  jest?  There's 
your  sister  and  her  kiddies ;  their  future's  at  stake. 
If  I'm  to  be  of  any  help —  He  broke  off,  for  a 

voice  inside  his  brain  had  started  talking,  "You're 


36   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

old.  That's  exactly  the  way  in  which  her  father 
speaks  to  her."  Was  it  her  thoughts  that  he  had 
heard?  Her  face  was  lowered;  he  could  see  nothing 
but  the  top  of  her  golden  head.  Youth  radiated 
from  her ;  even  in  his  anger  it  intoxicated  him. 

"So  if  I'm  to  help,"  he  picked  up  his  thread,  "you 
mustn't  mock.  It  isn't  decent,  Terry;  the  situa 
tion's  too  serious.  Let  me  have  the  facts.  How 
does  she  come  by  all  these  different  names?  Does 
she  call  herself  something  different  with  each  new 
dress?" 

Terry's  eyes  were  wide  and  sorry.  "No,  with  each 
new  husband,  but—  There  came  a  break  in  her 
voice,  "Oh,  Tabs,  I  can't  bear  that  you  should  be 
cross  with  me.  You've  been  disappointed  in  me  from 
the  moment  we  met.  We're  not  the  same.  And  I 
know  it's  not  all  my  fault.  And " 

Her  lips  trembled.  He  was  in  terror  lest  she 
would  give  way  to  crying.  If  it  hadn't  been  for 
the  table  that  parted  them  with  its  unromantic 

debris  of  dishes As  it  was  he  leant  across  and 

assured  her  earnestly,  "I'm  not  cross  with  you,  my 

dearest  girl.  I'm Terry,  how  is  it  that  we've 

drifted  so  apart?  I  keep  groping  after  the  old 
Terr}7 ;  for  a  minute  I  think  I've  found  her,  and  then 
she's  no  longer  there." 

Drying  her  eyes,  she  nodded.  "It  hurts  most 
frightfully.  That's  what  I  keep  doing,  barking  my 
shins  in  the  dark,  trying  to  follow  the  old  Tabs. 
He's  always  going  away  from  me — 

"I  think  it's  the  laughter  that  I  miss  most,"  she 
said  presently;  "you've  grown  so  stern." 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  37 

"I've  seen  stern  things  happen — a  kind  of  Judg 
ment  Day.  It's  remembered  things  that  are  so 
silencing." 

"I  know  what  you  mean.  I  saw  some  of  those 
things  in  our  hospital  in  France."  She  shut  her  eyes 
as  if  the  memory  was  unbearable.  "But  don't  be 
hard  on  people  who  have  a  right  to  be  young  and 
who  want  to  forget.  It  isn't  that  they're  ungrate 
ful."  Then  she  surprised  him,  "People  like  Maisie 
and  myself.'* 

"Don't  couple  yourself  with  her."  He  spoke  more 
sharply  than  he  had  intended. 

"But  she  was  with  me  out  there,"  she  expostulated. 
"That  was  how  she  met  her  second  husband,  Gervis. 
She  nursed  him." 

"It  makes  no  difference  how  she  met  him;  she's 
not  in  your  class — a  woman  who  has  been  divorced 
three  times." 

"But  she  hasn't.  Whatever  made  you  think 
that  ?"  Terry  shot  upright  on  her  chair,  for  all  the 
world  like  a  startled  rabbit. 

"You  told  me  she'd  had  three  husbands."  He 
was  once  more  puzzled  and  uncertain  of  his  ground. 
"You  as  good  as  said  that  she  wouldn't  be  averse 
to  making  a  fourth  of  Adair.  I  therefore  conjec 
tured " 

"You  conjectured  all  wrong,"  she  cut  him  short. 
"They  died  for  their  country." 

"All  of  them?"  He  was  making  a  rapid  calcu 
lation  as  to  how  long  could  have  elapsed  between 
each  re-marriage. 

"One   at   a   time,   of   course,"  she  added.      "She 


38   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

was  married  to  the  first  the  first  week  of  the  war." 

"Even  so  it  was  quick  work.  May  I  light  a 
cigarette?  Three  husbands  in  four  years!  She 
must  be  a  very  alluring  person !" 

Terry  laughed  nervously.  "She  is,  though  you 
mayn't  think  it.  I  can  see  you  don't;  you  think 
she's  horrid.  But  let  me  tell  you  it  takes  a  smart 
woman  to  bring  three  men  to  the  point  of  matrimony 
when  the  world's  so  full  of  unmarried  girls.  And 
they  were  every  one  of  them  more  or  less  famous — 
the  kind  of  men  of  whom  any  woman  would  be  proud. 
You'll  remember  Pollock — Reggie  Pollock ;  he  was 
one  of  the  earliest  of  our  aces — the  man  who  brought 
down  the  Zeppelin  over  Brussels  and  got  killed  him 
self  a  few  days  later,  no  one  quite  knew  how.  There 
was  a  mystery  about  his  death.  He  was  the  man 
to  whom  she  was  first  married." 

"A  splendid  chap !  And  I  recall  her  now.  Her 
portrait  was  in  the  illustrated  papers  at  the  time 
of  her  third  marriage.  It  was  headed  A  Conscien 
tious  War-Worker  or  something  like  that.  And  I 
don't  forget  the  name  the  soldiers  called  her  when 
they  read  the  papers  in  the  trenches." 

"Did  they  call  her  something?"  She  was  gazing 
at  him  intently.  "Was  it  something  brutal  that  you 
wouldn't  like  to  tell  me?" 

"It  was  something  true,"  he  said,  pinching  out  his 
cigarette  with  quiet  fierceness. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know "  She  broke  off  to  ask 

the  waitress  whether  the  car  had  arrived  and  was 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  "I  don't  know  about 
its  being  true.  After  all,  she  made  three  men  happy 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  39 

before  they  went  West.  I  don't  sec  that  she'd  have 
been  any  more  to  be  admired  if  she'd  allowed  the 
last  two  to  go  wretched." 

Tabs  half-rose  and  then  re-seated  himself.  "An 
awful  woman!  Insatiable!  A  Lucrezia  Borgia, 
without  Lucrezia  Borgia's  excuse." 

"I  knew  you'd  say  that."  Terry  spoke  hopelessly 
in  a  tone  that  dragged.  "How  do  you  or  I  know 
what  excuses  she  had?  How  do  we  know  why  any 
body  does  anything — what  hidden  reasons  they 
have  ?  And  yet  we're  always  so  eager  to  condemn ! 
I  wanted  to  be  the  first  to  let  you  know  about  Adair 
because  you  always  used  to  understand.  You  would 
have  understood  if  you'd  been  the  you  that  you  were. 
I  thought  that  if  I  explained  to  you  about 
Maisi  -  But  what's  the  use!'* 

She  rose  from  her  chair  and  stood  leaning  against 
the  table,  looking  wilted  and  pathetic.  When  she 
spoke  again  the  heat  had  gone  out  of  her  words 
and  was  replaced  by  an  appealing  tenderness. 
"Don't  you  see  what  it  is — why  it  is  that  I  don't 
condemn  ?  I'm  so  sorry  for  them — so  sorry  for  you, 
for  myself,  for  everybody.  It  hurts  me  here,  Tabs." 
She  laid  her  hand  against  her  breast.  "We  all  want 
what  we've  spent  in  the  lost  years.  We  want  it  so 
impatiently.  We  can't  get  it;  but  we  want  it  at 
once — now.  The  things  one  wants  are  always  in  the 
past  or  the  future,  so  one  cheats  to  get  them  now." 

He  hadn't  the  remotest  idea  what  she  was  trying 
to  tell  him.  She  was  stirred  by  some  deep  emotion 
— some  overwhelming  loneliness.  For  a  moment  it 
crossed  his  mind  that  she  also  was  tempted — fasci- 


40   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

nated  by  some  lurement  of  dishonor  kindred  to 
Adair's.  He  put  the  thought  from  him  as  prepos 
terous  and  disloyal.  Yet  it  recurred.  Ever  since 
they  had  met  she  had  been  talking  curiously — 
talking  about  having  given  away  bits  of  herself  to 
people  who  were  hungry,  little  bits  of  herself  in 
wrong  directions.  She  had  coupled  her  own  case 
with  this  unspeakable  Maisie's.  What  was  her  prob 
lem? 

She  stood  there  with  her  head  bowed,  like  a  child 
self-accused  of  wrong-doing,  with  all  the  flaunting 
joy  of  spring  tapping  against  the  window  on  which 
she  had  turned  her  back.  Then  it  dawned  on  him 
why  she  was  standing;  he  was  between  the  door 
of  escape  and  herself.  He  stepped  aside.  As  she 
moved  eagerly  forward,  he  caught  her  by  the  points 
of  her  elbows  and  arrested  her  going.  The  wild 
violet  eyes  fluttered  up  to  his  fearfully  and  fell  as 
he  towered  over  her. 

"My  very  dearest !"  He  spoke  gently  in  a  voice 
from  which  all  passion  had  been  purged.  "Don't 
blame  me  if  I  simply  can't  understand.  Though  I 
never  become  any  more  to  you  than  I  am  now,  I  shall 
always  be  your  comrade,  believing  in  you  and  loving 
you.  Remember  that." 

When  he  released  her  she  fled  from  him,  leaving 
him  alone  in  the  shabby  room. 

vn 

When  he  found  her,  she  was  talking  to  the  girl- 
soldier  in  the  yard  of  the  inn.  "But  do  you  think 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  41 

that  you  can  manage  it,  Prentys?  It'll  be  all  right 
in  the  open  country,  but  I'm  not  sure  that  I  want 
to  risk  it  in  the  London  traffic.  We're  merely  joy- 
riding  and,  if  anything  happened  to  the  car  when 
you  weren't  on  military  duty 

"I  don't  see  that  we've  got  much  choice,  miss,"  the 
girl  answered.  "The  General's  orders  to  me  were 
explicit,  and  you  know  what  he  is :  obedience  and  no 
explanations.  We've  barely  time  to  do  it." 

Their  backs  were  towards  the  inn.  Tabs  strolled 
up  and  made  a  pretense  of  inspecting  the  new  tire. 

"Anything  I  can  do?"  he  asked  casually. 

It  was  Prentys  who  answered  him.  "I  sprained 
my  left  wrist,  sir,  back  there  along  the  road."  She 
held  it  out  to  him  painfully  as  proof.  It  was  all 
bound  up  and  puffy.  "It  isn't  very  much  use,  sir; 
so  I've  only  one  hand  and  I  don't  know  whether  I'll 
be  able " 

Terry  interrupted  and  took  up  the  running.  "I 
thought  that  the  car  was  ours  for  the  day.  Prentys 
has  just  told  me  that  General  Braithwaite  ordered 
her  to  pick  him  up  at  the  War  Office  this  afternoon 
at  three-thirty.  Now  that  she's  sprained  her  wrist, 
she'll  have  to  drive  so  carefully  that  there's  scarcely 
time  to  do  it." 

Tabs  couldn't  help  smiling  at  the  pompous  im 
portance  of  little  people  in  this  newly  enfranchised 
world.  It  was  only  yesterday  that  for  him  also  the 
foibles  of  Generals  had  been  sacred.  Generals  had 
been  gods  whose  tantrums  and  mental  rheumatics  had 
thrown  whole  armies  into  a  fume  and  fret.  For  him 


42   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

that  day  was  ended,  but  it  still  existed  for  this  slim 
girl-soldier.  He  was  sorry  for  her. 

"You  needn't  be  upset,'*  he  said  kindly.  "I 
haven't  renewed  my  license,  but  I  can  drive.  No 
one's  likely  to  interfere  with  me  in  an  Army  car. 
Jump  in  and  I'll  get  you  there  with  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  in  hand." 

"But " 

It  was  Terry  who  had  spoken.  Her  brows  puck 
ered  with  thoughtfulness,  she  was  gazing  far  away 
into  the  green  distance.  He  waited  for  her  to 
amplify  her  objection.  When  she  maintained  silence, 
he  prompted  her.  "If  it's  me  and  my  bag  that's 
the  trouble,  you  don't  need  to  worry.  After  I've 
driven  you  both  to  the  War  Office,  I  can  fudge  round 
for  a  taxi.  One  can  usually  wangle  one  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Whitehall." 

Before  he  had  ended,  he  knew  that  his  guess  had 
missed  fire.  It  wasn't  his  comfort  that  was  disturb 
ing  her. 

"All  right,"  she  said  reluctantly.  "I  suppose 
there's  no  other  way.  Get  into  the  back,  Prentys ; 
I'll  ride  in  front  with  Lord  Taborley." 

He  was  glad  to  have  something  to  occupy  his 
attention — to  be  able  to  talk  without  the  neces 
sity  of  regarding  her.  They  were  both  embarrassed 
by  the  memory  of  their  recent  tempest  of  emotion. 
"Braithwaite !  So  that's  the  name  of  the  good  fairy 
who  gave  us  our  day  in  the  country.  I  don't  remem 
ber  him;  but  that's  not  remarkable.  Generals  at 
the  Front  were  as  common  as  policemen  in  London ; 
you  found  one  at  every  street  corner.  As  for  trench- 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  43 

dwellers  like  myself,  we  never  came  in  touch  with 
them  except  when  we  were  in  for  a  wigging.  We 
came  in  touch  with  them  all  right  then.'* 

She  made  no  remark.  He  had  the  feeling  that 
she  was  annoyed  with  herself  for  having  let  the  Gen 
eral's  name  escape  her.  Up  to  that  point  she  had 
referred  to  him  anonymously  as  "a  friend  at  the 
War  Office.*'  Tabs  tried  to  switch  to  another  sub 
ject  without  making  the  change  offensively  apparent. 
"Now  that  I'm  a  free  man,  I've  got  to  reorganize  a 
household." 

She  kindled  into  interest,  "Taborley  House  is 
still  a  hospital,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,  I  handed  it  over  to  the  Americans.  I  was 
glad  to  do  that  for  my  mother's  sake.  After  all, 
I'm  half  American.  At  least  a  third  of  my  boyhood 
was  spent  in  the  States.  But  they're  sending  most 
of  their  wounded  home  now,  so  I  shall  soon  have  it 
back  on  my  hands.  But  that  wasn't  what  I  meant. 
It  was  too  big  for  me ;  I  never  lived  there." 

"Then  what  did  you  mean?"1 

He  realized  that  she  was  encouraging  him  to  con 
tinue  talking  because  the  topic  was  safe — not  be 
cause  it  held  much  attraction  for  her. 

"What  I  meant  was  that  I'll  have  to  try  to 
collect  up  my  old  servants.  I  don't  know  where  they 
all  are,  or  who's  alive  and  who's  dead.  There's  one 
man  I'm  particularly  anxious  to  discover." 

He  slowed  down,  tooting  his  horn  vigorously  as 
they  rounded  an  awkward  corner.  When  they  were 
again  on  the  level  she  reminded  him :  "You  were  say 
ing  that  you  were  anxious  to  discover " 


44   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"Oh,  that  man  of  mine !  There  isn't  much  to  tell ! 
He  looked  after  me  while  I  was  up  at  the  'Varsity; 
when  I  left,  I  carried  him  off.  I  was  always  wander 
ing,  so  I  made  him  my  body-servant.  When  we  were 
leading  civilized  lives  in  cities  he  acted  as  my  valet- 
butler-secretary.  When  we  were  adventuring  in  the 
remoter  parts  of  the  world,  he  was  my  companion- 
friend.  I  had  a  real  affection  for  the  chap ;  he  was 
so  genuinely  distinguished  and  quick  to  learn.  He'd 
have  gone  far  if  things  had  kept  on.  As  it  is,  he's 
probably  gone  farther." 

"Gone  farther?"  She  sounded  half-asleep — 
politely  lackadaisical. 

"Gone  West,"  he  explained  shortly.  "His  letters 
became  fewer.  We  joined  up  together  in  the  ranks. 
You  know  all  about  my  end  of  it.  I  suppose  it  was 
my  mother's  democratic  Americanism  that  made  me 
do  that.  We  got  drafted  into  different  regiments. 
After  the  fighting  had  been  going  for  a  year,  he 
stopped  corresponding.  The  funny  thing  was  that 
none  of  my  letters  to  him  was  returned." 

She  was  so  bored  that  she  was  scarcely  listening. 
He  cut  the  matter  short  by  adding,  "It  was  your 
mention  of  General  Braithwaite  that  started  me 
gossiping." 

She  pulled  herself  together  with  a  jerk  and  in 
stantly  became  all  attention.  "How?  How  could 
my  mentioning  General  Braithwaite  do  that?" 

He  noticed  again  her  unreasonable  suspicion  of 
hostility  each  time  he  made  a  reference  to  this  man. 
Thinking  it  the  wiser  policy  to  overlook  it,  he  an- 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  45 

swered  evenly,  "Because  his  name  also  happened  to 
be  Braithwaite." 

Fully  fifteen  minutes  elapsed.  "She's  quite  fed  up 
with  my  valet,"  he  told  himself.  He  hadn't  been 
able  to  contrive  any  fresh  topic  which  was  suf-* 
ficiently  innocuous,  so  he'd  been  keeping  silent. 
They  were  again  passing  over  the  bridge  beneath 
which,  like  a  gleaming  sword,  lay  the  Thames, 
barriered  on  either  bank  by  the  little  bow-windowed 
houses,  with  their  shining  brasses  and  whitened  steps. 
They  were  already  catching  up  with  the  throng  of 
London  traffic  when  she  shook  herself  out  of  her  self- 
absorption  by  saying,  "There  must  be  thousands  of 
Braithwaites  in  the  world." 

He  glanced  at  her  out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes. 
Her  latest  conversational  effort  tickled  his  sense  of 
humor — it  was  so  wholly  inadequate.  He  laughed 
outright.  "That's  better;  the  high  spirits  will  soon 

be  coming  back Thousands  of  Braithwaites! 

My  dear  Terry,  there  must  be  hundreds  of  thou 
sands."  Then  in  a  graver  voice,  "But  though  there 
were  thousands  of  millions,  it  wouldn't  restore  to 
me  my  one  loyal  man." 

"You  loved  him?"     She  uttered  her  guess  softly. 

"Yes,  and  I — it's  a  queer  thing  to  say  about  one's 
valet — I  admired  him  tremendously." 

It  was  the  best  part  of  five  years  since  Tabs 
had  driven  a  car.  He  hadn't  yet  regained  his  old 
dexterity.  He  wasn't  expert  enough  to  attend  to  the 
wheel  and  at  the  same  time  to  carry  on  a  conversa 
tion.  As  he  left  the  bridge  he  had  to  pass  a  coster's 
barrow  which  was  drawn  up  beside  the  curb.  The 


46   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

coster  was  dressed  in  the  soiled  khaki  of  a  man  re 
cently  released  from  the  Army ;  his  barrow  was  piled 
high  with  narcissi  and  daffodils,  and  a  drowsy 
donkey  drooped  between  the  shafts.  In  avoiding  a 
suicidal  pedestrian,  Tabs  misjudged  the  room  that 
he  had  to  spare.  He  felt  a  jolt,  guessed  what  had 
happened,  and  jammed  on  his  brakes.  A  policeman 
in  front  of  him  was  holding  up  a  magisterial  hand. 
Behind  him  a  stream  of  familiar  trench  profanity 
was  gathering  in  volume ;  under  other  circumstances 
he  would  have  found  a  certain  enjoyment  in  the 
sound.  He  looked  back  and  saw  what  he  expected: 
the  barrow  overturned;  the  flowers  scattered,  the 
donkey  surprised  out  of  its  drowsiness,  thrown  on  its 
back  and  kicking  in  its  harness ;  the  coster  strad 
dling  the  sudden  ruin  and  calling  down  all  the  rigors 
of  the  law.  A  crowd  was  running  together;  it  hesi 
tated  between  the  coster  and  Tabs,  uncertain  as  to 
which  would  provide  the  more  exciting  entertain 
ment.  When  the  policeman  waving  his  note-book 
approached  the  car,  it  plunked  for  Tabs. 

The  policeman  was  a  stout,  fat-fingered,  immov 
able  kind  of  person.  He  said  nothing  till  he  had 
penciled  down  the  car's  official  number.  Tabs  gave 
his  name  and  address.  "Lord  Taborley,  etc."  The 
policeman  lifted  his  slow  eyes  to  judge  for  himself 
whether  the  Lord  part  of  his  information  looked 
probable.  The  lean  aristocratic  face  which  he  en 
countered  seemed  to  correspond  with  the  specifica 
tions  recorded.  He  asked  to  see  his  Lordship's 
license.  Tabs  embarked  on  explanations,  pointing 
to  the  bandaged  wrist  of  Prentys  as  a  confirmation 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  4T 

of  his  facts.  While  he  was  explaining  the  coster 
joined  them,  having  got  his  donkey  on  to  its  legs. 
He  was  violent  with  anger  and  burning  to  expound 
the  justice  of  his  cause.  Suddenly  he  struck  out  a 
convincing  line  of  argument,  "Look  at  'im,  the 
bloomin'  slacker — the  pasty  h'aristocrat.  'E  didn't 
see  no  fightin'.  Not  'im.  But  now  the  war's  been 
won  by  poor  blokes  like  meself,  'e  ain't  ashamed  ter 
go  banging  abart  in  h'Army  cars." 

"I  know  how  you  feel,"  Tabs  said.  "But  you're 
mistaken;  I  served  in  the  ranks  two  years  myself. 
I  was  only  demobbed  yesterday;  to-day's  my  first 
day  out  of  uniform.  I'll  pay  you  whatever  you  think 
fair;  so  you  don't  need  to  work  yourself  up." 

The  man's  attitude  changed  completely.  He  re 
moved  his  cap  and  scratched  his  head.  "Served  in 
the  ranks,  did  yer?  Then  you  and  me  was  pals  out 
there !"  He  turned  to  the  policeman,  "  'E  ain't  done 
me  as  much  damidge  as  if  one  of  them  there  Big 
Berthas  'ad  landed." 

The  policeman  let  his  fat  eyes  wander  from  the 
coster  to  Tabs,  from  Tabs  back  to  the  coster.  "I 
wuz  too  old  ter  go,"  he  said  inconsequently ;  "but 
me  son's  out  there  and  won't  ever  come  back."  He 
crossed  out  the  particulars  he  had  written  down  so 
laboriously;  when  that  was  done,  he  fumbled  his 
note-book  back  into  his  pocket.  "If  your  mate  'ere 
says  that  it's  h'all  right,  sir,  it's  h'all  right  so  far 
as  I'm  consarned.  Your  fust  day  h'out  of  the 
h'Army!  Well,  well!"  He  looked  at  Terry  with  a 
world  of  understanding,  wheeled  about  slowly  and 
went  ponderously  back  to  his  corner. 


48       KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"That  was  sportsmanly  of  you."  It  was  Tabs 
speaking.  "I'd  like  to  know  how  much " 

The  coster  shook  his  head.  "It  don't  cost  you 
nothink.  Me  and  you  used  ter  share." 

Tabs  protested.  The  man  climbed  the  running- 
board  and  pushed  his  grime-stained  hand  into  the 
car.  "Call  it  quits,  mister,  and  shake  for  luck. 
And  now  the  little  lady,  if  she  don't  h'object." 

Terry  shook  his  hand  daintily.  So  there  wasn't 
going  to  be  a  fight  after  all!  Everything  had  been 
settled  amicably!  With  an  air  of  disappointment 
the  crowd  dispersed. 

"Came  pretty  well  out  of  that!"  Tabs  remarked 
as  the  car  started  forward. 

"You're  not  to  talk."  Terry's  voice  was  high- 
strung  and  emphatic.  "You  can't  talk  and  drive 
— and  you've  got  to  drive  like  mad." 

"Why?     What's  the  hurry?" 

"The  hurry !  We've  wasted  twenty  minutes ;  we've 
barely  time  to  get  there." 

"Oh,  the  General !  I'd  forgotten.  Well,  it  won't 
do  the  old  boy  any  harm  to  wait.  Lord,  the  hours 
he  and  his  sort  have  kept  me  waiting  on  parade- 
grounds  in  France!" 

Then  he  remembered  that  this  General  wasn't  an 
old  boy.  If  he  wasn't  old,  there  was  all  the  less  rea 
son  for  making  so  much  effort  not  to  be  late. 

Nevertheless,  to  please  Terry He  could  feel  her 

body  twitching.  Every  time  he  had  to  slow  down 
for  traffic  he  was  aware  of  her  impatience.  Why  was 
it  of  such  vital  importance  to  her  that  they  should 
arrive  in  time?  She  wasn't  too  punctual  by  habit. 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  49 

A  thought  struck  him;  it  was  like  a  searchlight 
pointing  out  many  things  that  had  been  dark.  Her 
anxiety  wasn't  that  they  should  arrive  in  time,  but 
before  time.  She  didn't  intend,  if  she  could  prevent 
it,  that  he  should  meet  the  owner  of  the  car.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  double  accident  of  Prentys 
spraining  her  wrist  and  having  failed  to  mention 
that  the  car  must  be  back  by  three-thirty,  he  would 
never  have  been  allowed  to  know  that  there  was  a 
General.  Terry  had  been  compelled  to  let  him 
drive  if  the  borrowed  car  was  to  be  returned;  but 
her  main  object  now  was  to  reach  the  War  Office 
a  few  minutes  early  and  to  smuggle  him  off  before 
an  introduction  would  be  necessary.  If  they  arrived 
punctually  or  late,  the  General  might  be  already  on 

the  pavement Tabs  bit  his  lip.  He  hated 

petty  intrigue.  He  demanded  a  man's  code  of 
honor  from  the  woman  he  adored  and  made  no 
feeble  excuses  for  feminine  dishonesty.  This  was 
the  worst  disappointment  she  had  given  him. 

As  they  approached  Hyde  Park,  when  it  was  too 
late  to  turn  off  into  a  side-street,  he  saw  that  the 
road  ahead  was  blocked.  He  worked  the  car  as  far 
forward  as  possible  and  then  had  to  halt.  Terry 
was  nervously  consulting  her  watch.  "The  time?" 
he  asked. 

"Three-twenty- three." 

"Then  this  puts  the  lid  on  it."  He  beckoned  to 
a  policeman,  "What's  holding  us  up?" 

"The  Queen's  expected,  so  I'm  told,  sir,  though 
us  didn't  'ave  no  proper  warning." 

At   that  moment  the   crowd   out  of   sight   com- 


50   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

menced  cheering.  The  cheering  spread  and  ftrew 
nearer.  It  was  taken  up  by  people  who  were  strung 
across  the  road  immediately  in  front.  A  carriage 
flashed  by  in  which  two  ladies  were  sitting,  one  of 
whom  was  bowing  from  right  to  left.  Despite  her 
irritation  at  the  delay,  Terry  stood  up  so  that  she 
could  get  a  clearer  view  above  the  clustered  heads. 
The  cheering  grew  deafening,  then  lessened,  and  sank 
to  a  hoarse  murmur  beneath  the  trees  of  the  Park. 
As  she  reseated  herself  and  the  traffic  lurched  for 
ward,  she  turned  to  Tabs,  "You  noticed  who  it 
was?'* 

"The  Queen." 

"Yes,  but  the  lady  who  was  with  her?" 

"I  didn't  see." 

"It  was  Diana — Lady  Dawn  with  whom  I  nursed. 
She's  supposed  to  be  the  most  beautiful  woman  in 
England." 

"Don't  know  her.  So  I  shouldn't  have  placed  her 
if  I  had  seen  her." 

They  made  a  clear  run  of  it  from  Hyde  Park 
Corner  to  Whitehall  and  drew  up  quite  marvelously 
before  the  War  Office  on  the  second. 

"Done  it,"  said  Tabs  as  he  shut  off  the  engine. 
"It's  zero  hour  exactly." 

But  Terry  wasn't  there  to  listen  to  him,  as  he 
discovered  when  his  attention  was  free  and  the 
engine  had  ceased  to  throb.  Almost  before  they 
had  halted,  she  had  nipped  out  of  the  car  and  was 
hailing  a  taxi  which  was  on  the  point  of  moving 
off.  His  bag  was  already  in  process  of  being 
whisked  from  one  vehicle  to  the  other.  This  inde- 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  51 

cent  haste  to  be  rid  of  him  roused  his  obstinacy; 
he  sat  still  where  he  was  and  watched. 

She  returned  a  little  breathless  and  self-congratu 
latory.  "There!  Wasn't  that  clever  of  me?  Taxis 
are  scarce.  If  I  hadn't  collared  you  that  one  you 

might  have Come  on,  Tabs,  if  you're  stiff  in 

your  lame  leg,  give  me  your  hand  and  I'll " 

At  that  moment  the  dingy  swing-doors  of  the  War 
Office  flew  open  and  a  red-tabbed,  handsome  figure 
of  a  man,  with  gold  braid  on  his  cap  and  crossed 
swords  on  his  epaulettes,  came  briskly  out  on  to  the 
steps.  He  caught  sight  of  Terry  and,  throwing  her 
an  airy  salute,  came  with  an  eager  stride  towards 
her.  He  wasn't  the  old  fogy  Tabs  had  so  persis 
tently  imagined.  He  was  young,  barely  thirty,  lean, 
tall  and  swift-moving  as  an  arrow — very  much  what 
Tabs  had  been  before  he  had  spent  himself  at  the 
war. 

"Hulloa,  Terry!  This  is  ripping.  I  didn't  ex 
pect  you But  what's  all  this?  An  accident! 

What  have  you  been  doing  to  Prentys?" 

The  voice  was  glad  and  frank,  though  its  habit  of 
command  was  unmistakable.  Every  gesture  bespoke 
authority  and  arrogance  of  body.  Even  in  this 
moment  of  geniality,  "Obedience  and  no  explana 
tions"  was  written  all  over  him.  He  was  a  man 
who  believed  his  acceptable  importance  to  be  a 
verity  established  beyond  the  pale  of  challenge.  Yet 
there  was  something  lacking — a  sureness  of  refine 
ment,  a  last  considerateness.  With  the  first  word 
he  had  spoken,  Tabs  had  detected  that  he  wasn't 
quite  the  part. 


62   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Terry  had  hurried  forward  to  meet  him.  She 
was  saying  something  in  a  voice  so  subdued  that 
it  did  not  carry.  She  had  so  contrived  their  group 
ing — or  was  it  an  accident? — that  the  General's 
face  was  hidden. 

Tabs  waited,  then  turned  to  Prentys,  "My  taxi- 
man's  getting  impatient.  Will  you  give  my  thanks 
to  the  General  for  his  kindness  and  make  the  ex 
planations? And  I  hope  that  your  wrist  will 

soon  be  better." 

He  had  given  the  driver  his  address  and  was 
stepping  into  the  taxi,  when  he  heard  Terry's  voice, 
"Why,  you're  running  away !  You  mustn't  go  with 
out  meeting  the  General.  General  Braithwaite,  I 
want  to  introduce  you  to  Lord  Taborley,  of  whom 
I've  spoken  to  you  so  often.'* 

Tabs  limped  back  to  the  pavement  and  found  the 
General  regarding  him  intently.  "I'm  glad  to  make 
Lord  Taborley's  acquaintance,"  he  said  formally. 
And  then  to  Terry,  "You  didn't  tell  me  that  it  was 
for  Lord  Taborley  you  were  borrowing  my  car." 

Before  Terry  could  reply,  Tabs  was  answering 
for  her,  "Then  I  have  to  apologize  to  you,  sir,  as 
well  as  to  thank  you.  But  we've  used  the  same  car 
often,  haven't  we?  In  fact,  I'm  certain  that  we've 
met  many  times." 

"Never  to  my  knowledge."  The  General  drew 
himself  up  stiffly.  "You  mistake  me.  It's  the  first 
time  I've  had  the  pleasure." 

The  two  tall  men  stood  glooming  at  each  other. 
Tabs  had  it  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue  to  say  some 
thing  more,  but  glanced  at  Terry  and  thought  bet- 


AN  ALTERED  WORLD  53 

ter  of  it.  Instead  he  addressed  her,  "Do  I  drive  you 
home?" 

The  General  interrupted.  "It'll  be  out  of  your 
way.  I'm  going  right  past  Miss  Beddow's  house." 

For  the  first  time  since  they  had  been  introduced 
Terry  came  between  their  hostility.  "How  did  you 
know  where  Lord  Taborley  lived  and  that  it  would 
be  out  of  his  way?  You  said  that  this  was  the  first 
time  you  had  met  him." 

Tabs  refused  to  make  her  the  witness  of  a  quarrel. 
"Since  General  Braithwaite  knows  where  I  live,  per 
haps  he  will  call  and  explain  that  to  me  later.  I 
can't  keep  my  cab  waiting  longer — are  you  riding 
with  me,  Terry?" 

She  avoided  his  eyes.  "With  the  General."  And 
then,  "You  won't  forget  that  you're  dining  to-night 
with  father?'* 

"To-night.   At  seven-thirty,  I  suppose,  as  usual?" 

"At  seven-thirty." 

He  raised  his  hat.  As  he  drove  away  he  felt  com 
pelled  to  look  back  just  once  to  assure  himself.  He 
caught  the  General's  features  in  full  sunlight;  he 
had  not  been  mistaken. 

"So  that's  why  my  letters  to  him  weren't  returned, 
and  that's  why  he  didn't  write!  He's  gone  farther 
than  far  with  a  vengeance."  He  clenched  his  fists 
and  frowned  savagely  at  his  crippled  leg.  "I  felt 
so  sure  of  her — and  to  have  to  compete  with  my  own 
valet  1" 


CHAPTER  THE  SECOND* 


BETRIEVEES    OF    YOUTH 


THE  taxi  had  scarcely  drawn  up  before  a  small, 
prim  house  in  Brompton  Square  when  the  door 
was  opened  by  a  neat  maid  in  immaculate  cap  and 
apron.  She  was  so  neat  and  respectful  as  to  appear 
almost  passionless.  She  had  the  high  complexion  of  a 
country  girl,  good  gray  eyes,  a  slim,  attractive  figure 
and  dark,  wavy  hair  which  escaped  rebelliously  from 
beneath  her  cap.  One  wondered  how  she  looked  in 
her  off-duty  moments,  when  she  wasn't  saying, 
"Yes,  your  Lordship"  and  "No,  your  Lordship." 
Tabs  mustered  a  smile  and  called  to  her,  "Thank 
you,  Ann.  I'll  be  with  you  in  a  moment." 

As  he  paid  the  fare,  he  let  his  eyes  wander.  The 
outside  of  the  house  had  been  painted  white,  evi 
dently  in  honor  of  his  home-coming.  The  work  had 
been  only  recently  completed,  for  the  chalked  warn 
ing  on  the  pavement  was  not  yet  obliterated,  "Wet 
Paint  Beware."  He  had  given  no  orders;  it  was 
Ann's  doing — her  accustomed,  tactful  thoughtful- 
ness.  The  steps  were  speckless  as  a  newly  laundered 
shirt,  the  brasses  polished  to  the  brilliancy  of 
precious  metal.  His  window-boxes —  He  glanced 

54 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  55 

along  the  fronts  of  his  neighbors'  houses;  they 
hadn't  put  theirs  out  yet.  His  were  ahead  of  every 
body's  ;  they  made  a  cheerful  splash  of  red,  with 
their  soldierly  upstanding  tulips,  above  the  long 
serried  line  of  area-railings.  Again  Ann's  doing  1 
And  the  snow-white  curtains  behind  each  row  of 
panes  were  also  Ann's. 

The  driver  clicked  his  "For  Hire"  sign  into  the 
upright  position  and  chugged  away  to  join  the  flow 
of  traffic  which  thumped  orchestrally  past  the  end 
of  the  Square.  Tabs  climbed  the  three  low  steps 
separately;  he  had  been  used  to  take  them  at  a 
bound.  He  tried  to  climb  them  slowly  as  though 
from  choice,  and  not  from  necessity.  He  was  very 
conscious  that  Ann  was  watching.  As  she  closed 
the  door  behind  him  he  said,  "So  you  knew  I  was 
coming?  You  received  my  telegram?" 

"Yes,  your  Lordship." 

"I  was  sorry  I  couldn't  tell  you  the  exact  hour.  I 
didn't  know  it  myself.  I  hope  you  didn't  trouble 
to  prepare  lunch." 

"It  was  no  trouble,  your  Lordship." 

"Then  you've  managed  to  get  some  one  in  the 
kitchen?  They  tell  me  that  all  the  cooks  have  be 
come  bus-conductresses  or  lady-secretaries." 

"I  did,  your  Lordship.  My  sister — the  one  who 
lost  her  husband  at  Mons.  I  thought  you  wouldn't 
object " 

He  cut  her  short.  "Ann,  you  know  I  never  ob 
ject;  you  never  need  to  go  into  details.  Whatever 
you've  done  is  right.  From  what  I've  seen  already 
you've  done  splendidly." 


56   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Under  his  praise  she  flushed  and  became  a  little 
less  the  servant.  "I  was  afraid  you  might  think  I'd 
taken  too  much  upon  myself,  what  with  the  flower- 
boxes  and  having  the  house  repainted.  I  wanted  to 
have  things  nice  for  your  Lordship  after —  She 

hesitated  for  a  word,  and  then  burst  out,  "After  all 
the  dirt  and  beastliness !  Your  Lordship  ought 
never  to  have  gone  in  the  ranks,  begging  your  par 
don  ;  you  weren't  fitted  for  it.  You  ought  to  have 
gone  as  a  General.  Then  you  wouldn't  have  come 
home  with  that  poor  leg  and —  She  saw  him 

wince  and  changed  the  subject.  "But  about  doing 
things  without  orders,  I  knew  that  if  Braithwaite — 

if  Braithwaite "  Her  voice  sagged  and  her  eyes 

misted  over.  At  last  Tabs  saw  how  she  looked  in 
her  off-duty  moments,  when  she  wasn't  occupied  with 
being  respectful.  The  sudden  memory  came  back 
of  intuitions  he  had  had  that  she  and  his  valet  might 
one  day  marry.  From  time  to  time  he  had  twitted 
them  on  their  fondness,  taking  an  idle  pleasure  in 
forwarding  the  match.  And  Braithwaite  had  kissed 
her  before  he  marched  away.  Ridiculous  to  remem 
ber  it  now!  It  signified  nothing.  People  in  their 
station  kissed  when  they  felt  kindly,  and  on  that  oc 
casion  they  had  had  an  epoch-making  pretext. 

Her  eyes  were  searching  his  with  a  hungry  wist- 
fulness.  "What  I  was  meaning,  your  Lordship,  was 
that  if  he  had  been  spared,  he'd  have  done  things 
on  his  own  and  gone  ahead,  the  same  as  he  always 
did.  So  I,  seeing  as  how  he  wasn't— 

Tabs  touched  her  shoulder  gently.  "It's  all  right, 
Ann.  I  appreciate  your  motives.  I'm  glad  you 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  57 

went  ahead.     But  you  haven't  shaken  hands  yet." 

He  glanced  in  at  the  dining-room  before  he  went 
upstairs.  The  table  was  spread  for  dinner.  Cut 
flowers  were  standing  about  in  vases.  The  very 
silver  had  a  festive  shine. 

"Again  I  have  to  be  sorry,"  he  told  her.  "I'm 
dining  with  Sir  Tobias  Beddow." 

"And  Miss  Terry,"  she  inquired,  "is  she  well?" 

When  he  went  to  climb  the  narrow  stairs  she  re 
fused  to  permit  him  to  carry  his  bag.  He  guessed 
the  reason — that  he  might  be  freer  to  support  him 
self  by  the  rail  of  the  banisters.  On  the  first  small 
landing,  which  looked  out  at  the  back  on  to  the 
Oratory  and  the  graveyard  of  the  Parish  Church, 
there  were  still  more  flowers.  When  he  reached  his 
bedroom,  three  flights  up,  he  found  that  his  evening 
clothes  had  been  all  laid  out  and  just  as  carefully 
as  if  Braithwaite — the  old  Braithwaite  whom  he  had 
loved — had  been  there  before  him. 

As  she  unpacked  his  bag,  opening  and  closing 
drawers,  "I  shall  have  to  look  round  for  another 
valet,"  he  said. 

"Please  don't."  Her  tone  was  sharp  with  earnest 
ness. 

Tabs  felt  sorry  for  her.  She,  too,  like  all  the 
world  was  wanting  the  thing  that  she  could  never 
have.  He  wondered  whether  it  wouldn't  be  kinder 
to  tell  her  and  let  her  know  the  worst.  "But  sha'n't 
I,  Ann?" 

With  simple  pathos,  which  was  the  more  touching 
because  it  was  so  unconscious,  she  clasped  her  hands, 
"He  might  come  back.  He  was  never  reported.  My 


58       KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

letters  were  returned  unopened.  I've  not  given  over 
hoping.  I  shouldn't  like  him  to  find  that  your  Lord 
ship If  he  found  another  man  in  his  place,  he 

might  feel  like  lie  hadn't  been  wanted.  Me  and  sister 
can  manage " 

"But " 

He  got  no  further,  for  her  eyes  were  meeting  his 
with  an  appeal  that  was  desperate.  "A  strange 
man — his  ways  would  be  different.  He'd  make  one 
know  that  everything — everything  was  ended." 

She  glanced  hurriedly  round  for  a  last  time  to 
make  sure  that  there  was  nothing  she  had  omitted — 
collar,  tie,  silk  socks,  dress-shoes,  shaving-water, 
razor.  "I'll  be  listening  for  the  bell  in  case  there's 
anything  that  I've  forgotten,  sir." 

With  that  she  closed  the  door  between  himself  and 
her  emotion.  As  she  rustled  discreetty  down  the 
stairs,  he  thought  he  heard  a  sound  of  sobbing. 

II 

It  was  too  early  to  dress — not  five  o'clock  yet. 
He  made  an  estimate  of  the  time  he  had  to  spare. 
If  he  walked  across  the  Park  to  Sir  Tobias  Bed- 
dow's,  that  would  take  him  from  a  half  to  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.  At  the  earliest  he  wouldn't 
have  to  leave  the  house  till  six-thirty.  So  he  had 
the  best  part  of  two  hours  during  which  to  think 
out  his  line  of  conduct  and  to  dress.  At  dinner  he 
would  meet  Terry — how  would  she  act?  And  what 
was  the  right  thing  for  him  to  do  as  her  family's 
trusted  friend?  He  felt  very  tired.  It  took  a  tre- 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  59 

mendous  lot  out  of  one  pretending  to  other  people 
that  one  wasn't  tired.  He  was  ashamed  to  have  to 
own  to  himself  how  quickly  nowadays  he  could  use 
up  his  physical  reserves.  For  the  moment  there  was 
no  one  to  watch  him;  he  stretched  himself  out  at 
full  length  on  the  couch. 

He  was  glad  to  be  back  in  this  friendly  house  with 
its  narrow  stairways  and  endearing  littleness ;  it 
had  been  his  American  mother's  before  him.  Within 
its  walls  were  the  exquisite  traces  of  a  temperament 
and  taste  that  had  been  hers.  She  hadn't  always 
been  a  great  lady ;  to  the  end  of  her  days  there  had 
remained  with  her  the  love  of  small  things  which  one 
finds  in  nun-like  New  England  towns.  There  had 
been  times  when  the  ostentation  and  entertaining 
at  Taborley  House  had  become  too  much  for  her; 
this  nest  of  refuge  had  been  her  secret — her  place  of 
retreat  where  she  had  regarnered  her  sincerities. 
She  had  loved  the  Square's  old-fashioned  primness, 
its  tininess,  its  unchanging  atmosphere  of  rest.  It 
was  scarcely  invaded  by  the  strum  of  London.  In 
the  cloud  of  greenness  which  drifted  above  its  com 
munal  garden,  one  could  still  listen  to  the  country 
sounds  of  birds.  At  the  back  gray  religion  spoke 
in  the  tolling  bell  of  the  Parish  Church ;  through 
Sabbath  stillnesses  one  could  catch  the  pealing  of 
the  organ  in  the  Oratory  and  the  mutter  of  wor 
shipers  at  prayer.  Tabs  had  kept  the  house  as  she 
had  left  it.  It  was  something  faithful  to  which  to 
return,  however  much  he  failed  in  the  search  for  his 
kingdom  and  however  far  he  wandered. 

However  much  he  failed!     This  first  day  of  free- 


60   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

dom  had  been  anything  but  successful.  He  felt  as 
though  ever}7  hope  that  he  had  had  had  been  blotted 
out ;  that  morning  he  had  had  no  plan  for  the  future 
which  had  not  included  Terry.  What  would  be  the 
upshot?  Would  Braithwaite  accept  his  challenge 
to  visit  him?  If  he  did,  what  then?  He,  Tabs, 
couldn't  very  well  ask  his  ex-valet,  merely  because 
he  was  his  ex-valet,  to  desist  from  loving  the  same 
girl.  He  had  no  doubt  that  Braithwaite,  in  his  new 
incarnation  as  a  General,  did  dare  to  love  her.  He 
had  little  doubt  that  Terry  had  shown  herself  at 
least  susceptible  to  the  glamor  of  his  infatuation. 
How  far  had  the  matter  gone  between  them?  There 
lay  the  guess. 

He  searched  back,  trying  to  piece  together 
phrases  which  would  indicate  the  correct  answer. 
There  was  her  disturbing  confession  about  having 
given  away  bits  of  herself,  little  bits  of  herself  in 
wrong  directions.  There  was  her  reticence  as  to 
the  ownership  of  the  car  and  the  way  in  which  she 
had  tried  to  prevent  a  meeting.  There  was  her 
sympathy  for  Maisie's  matrimonial  excesses ;  her 
unnatural  tolerance  for  Adair;  her  reiterated  ex 
cuse  for  the  current  love-madness,  that  people  had 
the  right  at  any  cost  to  be  happy ;  and  the  eagerness 
with  which  she  had  seized  on  his  own  words,  "to  re 
cover  our  lost  years  by  violence."  In  the  silence 
of  his  brain  he  heard  her  voice  pleading,  urgent  with 
pain  and  underlying  terror,  "Don't  you  see  why  I 
don't  condemn?  I'm  sorry  for  you,  for  myself,  for 
everybody."  His  knowledge  of  the  world  told  him 
that  impassioned  latitudinarians  were  most  fre- 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  61 

quently  found  among  those  who  had  themselves  of 
fended  the  conventions.  Whatever  Terry  knew  or 
did  not  know,  she  was  certainly  aware  that  a  match 
between  herself  and  General  Braithwaite  was  com 
pletely  off  the  map  and  would  be  regarded  by  every 
one  who  counted  as  a  mesalliance. 

And  what  did  she  know?  Not  that  Braithwaite 
had  been  a  valet — most  decidedly  not  that  he  had 
been  his  valet;  at  most  she  suspected  that  they  had 
been  acquainted  when  Braithwaite  had  moved  in 
humbler  circles.  Had  she  been  possessed  of  the  ex 
act  truth,  she  would  never  have  borrowed  a  car 
from  that  quarter  to  meet  her  ex-lover  on  his  home 
coming.  She  had  been  testing — trying  to  discover. 
She  had  scented  a  mystery — one  for  the  solving  of 
which  none  of  the  General's  explanations  had  proved 
convincing.  Then  had  come  the  unforeseen  encoun 
ter  outside  the  War  Office  and  Braithwaite's  false 
hood,  which  even  Terry  had  detected.  "You  mistake 
me.  It's  the  first  time  I've  had  the  pleasure."  What 
was  the  man's  game?  Did  he  hope  to  erase  his  old 
identity?  Did  he  think 

At  this  point  Tabs*  patience  broke  down.  "Dash 
it  all,"  he  muttered,  "if  there  hadn't  been  a  war, 
the  fellow  would  have  been  running  my  bath-water 
at  this  moment." 

If  there  hadn't  been  a  war!  But  there  had;  and 
this  was  only  one  of  the  many  preposterous  situa 
tions  which  had  resulted  from  it.  Terry  was  right 
in  at  least  one  thing  that  she  had  said — the  world 
was  upside  down  and  walking  on  its  head. 

As    he    lay    there    thinking,    with    the    topmost 


62   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

branches  of  the  trees  in  the  Square  weaving  a  trac 
ery  of  green  shadows  against  his  windows,  a  sudden 
inspiration  came  to  him.  He  sat  up.  "By  Jove, 
I've  got  it.  Terry's  proud  as  Lucifer.  I  can  stop 
this  nonsense  at  any  time  by  telling  her  who  her 
lover  was.  Braithwaite  will  have  to  call  to  see  me; 
I  can  force  him-  to  it.  When  he  calls,  the  door  will 
be  opened  by  Ann.  I  can  hold  the  threat  over  him 
that,  if  he  doesn't  promise  to  break  with  Terry,  I'll 
expose  him.'* 

He  went  across  to  his  writing-table,  selected  a 
pen  and  wrote: — 

General  Braithrvaite, 

The  War  Office, 

Whitehall, 

London. 

Sir: 

I  shall  be  pleased  to  see  you  any  time  to-morrow  at 
my  house  in  Brompton  Square,  "which  you  know  so  well. 
The  matter  which  we  have  to  discuss  is  urgent. 

Yours  truly, 

Taborley. 

He  addressed  the  envelope,  sealed  it  and  rang  the 
bell.  When  Ann  appeared,  he  handed  it  to  her. 
"Please  see  that  it's  posted  immediately." 

He  had  done  something  decisive.  For  the  time 
being  he  felt  happier.  "Nothing  like  getting  a  thing 
off  your  chest  !'*  He  took  a  bath  and,  having  slipped 
into  his  dressing-gown,  commenced  to  shave.  Be 
tween  these  acts  he  whistled  snatches  of  street-songs 
to  prove  to  himself  his  genuine  light-heartedness.  It 
was  while  he  was  drying  his  razor  that  he  started 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  63 

on  the  wrong  air.  Where  had  he  heard  it  ?  Oh,  yes, 
the  sunlit  street,  the  children  dancing  and  a  voice 
at  his  side  murmuring  the  words  of  the  refrain, 
"Apres  la  Guerre,  there'll  be  a  good  time  every 
where.  " 

The  old  argument  commenced  again,  but  with  a 
new  justice.  "What  have  I  really  got  against  this 
chap?  To  rise  from  a  private  to  a  General  is  no 
crime ;  it's  to  his  credit.  We  all  had  his  chance  and 
some  of  us  had  more  influence ;  yet  he  got  there." 

He  tried  to  eliminate  his  own  desires  and  wounded 
pride  from  the  problem.  For  five  years  he  had  been 
nothing  and  had  been  glad  to  be  nothing,  that  the 
cause  which  he  believed  to  be  righteous  might  triumph 
by  his  self-cff?  cement.  What  sickness  of  soul  had 
overtaken  him  that,  on  this,  his  first  day  of  freedom, 
he  had  immediately  surrendered  to  this  orgy  of  out 
rageous  selfishness  ?  It  was  Terry  that  mattered  and 
only  Terry.  The  stronghold  of  her  happiness  was 
threatened  by  Braithwaite's  lie.  There  was  a  king 
dom  for  everybody,  his  old  theory.  As  for  himself, 
if  he  had  been  mistaken  and  his  kingdom  was  not 
Terry,  then  he  must  press  on,  for  it  lay  further  up 
the  road  round  some  newer  turning.  Meanwhile,  at 
whatever  cost  to  himself  he  must  rescue  Terry's  hap 
piness. 

His  heroic  state  of  mind  lasted  no  longer  than  it 
takes  to  set  down.  He  was  demanding  too  much  of 
his  exhausted  capacity  for  self-abnegation.  He 
was  starving  for  her.  His  old  hunger  to  win  her 
swept  over  him  ravenously.  Only  by  winning  her 
could  his  lost  youth  be  regained. 


64   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

in 

He  had  almost  completed  dressing  when  there 
came  a  tap  at  the  door.  Finishing  what  he  was 
doing  in  front  of  the  mirror,  he  answered,  "Yes,  what 
is  it,  Ann?" 

"Before  you  go,  I  should  like  to  speak  with  your 
Lordship." 

"Is  it  important?     I've  not  got  too  much  time." 

"It's — it's   something  to  do  with  myself." 

"All  right.     Half  a  second." 

On  opening  the  door,  he  saw  at  once  that  her  face 
was  disturbed. 

"What  is  it?" 

"It's  something  to  do  with  him,   sir." 

"With  whom?" 

"With  Braithwaite." 

It  was  evident  that  for  Ann  there  was  only  one 
him  in  the  world. 

"Well,  what  of  him?" 

Ann  commenced  speaking  slowly.  Under  the 
stress  of  her  nervousness  she  forgot  the  correct  de 
meanor  for  a  high-class  parlor-maid  and  became  a 
country  girl,  twisting  the  corner  of  her  white, 
starched  apron  in  her  hands. 

"I  was  noticing  the  address  on  that  letter  }Tour 
Lordship  gave  me  to  post."  Tabs  thought  quickly, 
"Hullo,  we're  in  for  it.  That  was  foolish  of  me. 
She's  put  two  and  two  together." 

But  Ann  reassured  him  in  her  next  sentence.  "It 
was  to  a  General  at  the  War  Office  and  I  was  think 
ing  that  he  might  help.  Braithwaite  and  I  had  an 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  65 

understanding.  I'm  not  saying  we  were  engaged; 
we  weren't.  We  didn't  tell  anybody.  But  we'd  made 
up  our  minds  to  get  married  if  he  ever  came  back. 
If  I'd  been  engaged  to  him,  I'd  have  a  right  to  make 
enquiries ;  but  now,  in  most  people's  eyes,  I  was 
nothing  to  him.  That's — that's  the  hardest  part  of 
it.  You  see,  sir,  he  was  never  reported  dead  or 
missing  or  anything.  I  just  stopped  hearing  from 
him.  So  I  thought  that  if  this  General  was  your 
Lordship's  friend " 

Tabs'  brain  had  been  working.  He  already  had  a 
plan.  "You  thought  that  I  might  persuade  him  to 
use  his  influence  to  have  the  records  searched?'* 

She  glanced  up  hopefully.  "That's  what  I  was 
thinking.  Would  he  do  it  for  your  Lordship?  I 
don't  know  how  to  set  about  things  myself.  It's 
this — this,"  she  almost  broke  down,  "this  uncer 
tainty  that's  a-killing  of  me.  Sister  knows  about 
her  man,  but  I 

Tabs  saw  the  redness  of  sleeplessness  in  her  eyes ; 
it  was  true — the  uncertainty  was  killing  her.  "Don't 
upset  yourself  by  talking  about  it,"  he  said  kindly. 
"I'll  write  to  the  General  and  post  my  request  on 
my  way  out." 

He  had  supposed  he  had  dismissed  her  and  had 
seated  himself  at  his  desk.  A  sound  behind  him 
warned  him;  he  looked  across  his  shoulder  to  find 
her  still  hovering  in  the  doorway. 

She  answered  his  unspoken  question  as  to  why  she 
was  delaying.  "Aren't  there  any  particulars  that 
your  Lordship  ought  to  have  ?  Things  like  his  regi- 


66   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

mental  number,  and  his  birthday,  and  where  he  was 
born,  and  all  that?  And  wouldn't  this  help?" 

"What's  that?" 

She  pulled  out  from  her  apron-pocket  an  en 
velope.  "It's  one  of  his  letters.  If  the  General 
was  to  see  it,  he'd  know  I  had  the  right." 

"May  I  glance  through  it?" 

Tabs  unfolded  the  scribbled  sheets  of  paper. 
They  were  torn  from  an  Army  note-book. 

"My  darling  Ann: 

The  jolly  old  war  drags  on  and  seems  as  though  it 
were  never  going  to  end.  Not  that  I've  much  to  kick 
about,  for  it's  proved  a  chance  for  me.  Here's  the  great 
news.  I'm  in  for  rny  commission  and  shall  soon  be  'an 
officer  and  a  gentleman.'  Don't  tell  his  Lordship  if  you 
write  to  him  or  see  him;  he's  still  in  the  ranks  and  might 
not  like  it.  It's  funny  to  think  that  I  shall  be  his  mil 
itary  superior  before  many  weeks  are  out  and  that,  mere 
he  and  I  to  meet,  he'd  have  to  salute  me.  If  I  come 
through  the  war,  I  sha'n't  go  back  to  being  a  valet.  Once 
having  been  a  gentleman " 

Tabs  ran  rapidly  through  this  sheet  and  turned 
to  the  next: — 

"You're  wonderfully  good.  I  got  the  socks  that  you 
knitted  and  the  two  parcels  of  food  from  Harrods.  You 
mustn't  spend  so  much  of  your  money  on  me.  When  it's 
all  ended,  I'll  pay  you  back.  We'll  get  married  and 
have  a  little  cottage  in  a  little  town,  the  way  the  song 
says  that  we  heard  together  at  the  Comedy  on  my  last 
leave.  You  remember  how  it  goes. 

'And  we'll  have  a  little  mistress  in  a  silken  gown. 

A  little  doggie,  a  little  cat, 

A  little  doorstep,  with  WELCOME  on  the  mat.' 
"My  dearest  sweetheart,  I  love  you. 

"Yours,  in  the  pink,  etc." 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  67 

Tabs  looked  up.  "May  I  keep  this  for  the  present? 
— And,  by  the  way,  how  many  more  of  them  have 
you?" 

"Nearly  a  hundred  from  the  day  he  enlisted. 
That's  one  of  the  last — I  never  heard  from  him 
whether  he  lived  to  get  his  commission." 

When  she  had  vanished,  he  reread  the  letter  more 
carefully,  made  a  copy  of  it  and  slipped  the  copy 
into  another  envelope  addressed  to  General  Braith- 
waite,  together  with  a  note  from  himself,  which 
read,  "One  of  the  important  reasons  why  I  am  in 
sistent  that  you  shall  call  on  me  is  contained  in  the 
enclosed  copy  of  one  of  your  many  letters,  the  origi 
nals  of  all  of  which  are  in  my  possession.  To  a  man 
of  honor  it  speaks  for  itself  " 

IV 

At  the  red  pillar-box,  at  the  foot  of  the  Square, 
he  posted  this  second  missive.  "He'll  receive  them 
both  by  the  first  delivery  to-morrow,"  he  thought. 

"I  wonder  what  he'll Rotten !  But  it  can't  be 

helped."  Then  he  turned  to  the  right  by  the  Tube 
Station,  going  up  the  narrow  old  world  passage, 
behind  the  backs  of  houses,  through  the  graveyard 
of  the  Brompton  Parish  Church  to  Ennismore  Gar 
dens  and  the  sudden,  railed  in  solitudes  of  Hyde 
Park. 

There  were  few  pedestrians  about.  Until  he 
reached  the  Park  they  were  for  the  most  part  men 
in  evening-dress,  going  to  dinner-parties,  like  him 
self.  Sometimes  they  were  accompanied  by  their 


68       KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

wives  or  sweethearts,  whose  little  high-heeled  shoes 
made  a  sharp  tap-a-tap  against  the  pavement. 
Lamps  were  lighted.  The  reluctant  twilight  was 
gradually  fading;  the  sunset  still  glowed  faintly 
above  clustered  chimney-pots  to  the  west.  "Pm 
going  to  meet  Terry,"  he  told  himself.  "If  the  day 
had  worked  out  as  I'd  planned,  I  should  be  going 
to  ask  for  her  hand  in  marriage —  When  I 

planned  that,  I  still  believed  that  I  was  young." 

Then  he  thought  forward.  Sir  Tobias,  from  the 
moment  he  entered,  would  be  scheming  to  get  him  to 
himself.  Sir  Tobias  must  be  avoided.  Directly  din 
ner  was  ended,  he  would  try  to  hurry  him  off  and 
imprison  him  in  his  library  to  discuss  this  Maisie 
woman  and  Adair.  Still  he  was  going  to  see  Terry; 
merely  to  see  her  was  a  compensation  which  stirred 
his  blood. 

He  crossed  the  Serpentine,  stretching  like  a  phan 
tom  lake,  rose  and  slate-colored,  through  the  Peter 
Pan  haunted  glades  of  Kensington  Gardens.  Then 
he  emerged  from  the  Victoria  Gate  and  found  him 
self  ringing  a  bell  and  being  admitted  by  a  butler, 
who  relieved  him  of  his  coat  and  hat  with  the  velvet- 
plush  manner  of  a  fashionable  surgeon  feeling  a 
patient's  pulse. 

"If  you  will  come  this  way,  Sir  Tobias  is  waiting 
for  your  Lordship  in  the  library." 

It  was  happening  precisely  as  he  had  foreseen ; 
it  was  being  taken  for  granted  that  he  had  come  as 
her  father's  friend,  and  therefore  in  some  absurd 
measure  as  his  contemporary. 

As  he  prepared  to  follow,  his  attention  was  at- 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  69 

tracted  by  the  scarlet  band  and  gold  braid  about 
an  officer's  cap  which  was  lying  carelessly  on  the 
hall-table  beside  a  pair  of  dog-skin  eloves. 

V 

Sir  Tobias  was  standing  astride  the  hearth-rug 
with  his  back  towards  the  fire.  As  the  door  opened, 
he  was  caught  in  a  last  nervous  adjustment  of  his  tie. 

He  was  a  little  man,  inclined  to  be  podgy,  brim 
ful  of  a  darting  kind  of  energy  and  dignified  with 
an  air  of  fussy  distinction  which  none  of  his  antics, 
however  grotesque,  could  diminish.  He  was  Shake 
speare  as  he  might  have  appeared  at  sixty,  after 
years  and  a  return  to  Ann  Hathaway  had  quenched 
the  taller  flames  of  his  poetic  fire.  The  resemblance 
was  haunting  and  remarkable:  there  underlay  it  a 
hint  of  gnome-like  agility.  One  suspected  that  he 
affected  age  as  a  disguise.  The  pointed  beard  was 
white ;  the  scanty  hair  had  receded  from  the  calm 
forehead;  the  eyes  were  blue  and  faded,  and  red 
about  the  rims  with  over-much  study.  The  top  part 
of  the  face  above  the  cheek-bones  was  noble;  but 
the  lower  part  fell  away  to  a  mouth  and  chin  which 
were  amiable  and  undecided.  At  the  hour  of  Tabs' 
arrival,  he  was  flinging  up  his  hands  and  spluttering 
impotently,  an  inexpert  swimmer  in  the  waters  of 
adversity. 

"My  dear  Lord  Taborley!  My  dear  fellow!" 
The  moment  he  discovered  his  guest  in  the  doorway 
he  came  darting  forward.  "My  dear  boy,  this  is  real 
friendship.  We  missed  you  and  wanted  you  so  much. 


70   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

— So  you're  out  of  it  at  last?     I  mean  the  khaki." 

The  little,  wrinkled  hand  with  its  stubby  fingers 
reached  up  timidly  in  an  attempt  to  pat  the  big 
breadth  of  shoulders. 

"Yes,  I'm  out  of  it,  Sir  Tobias." 

Tabs  didn't  want  to  be  patted.  He  was  impa 
tient  of  polite  evasions.  He  foresaw  that  he  was 
expected  to  spend  the  next  five  minutes  in  replying 
to  questions  which  required  no  answers — all  this  as 
a  conventional  preface  to  a  discussion  of  the  deli 
cate  position  of  Adair  and  Maisie.  But  Tabs  had 
his  own  problem,  and  one  question  in  particular 
about  a  hat  on  the  hall-table  that  he  was  burning  to 
ask.  They  stood  staring  at  each  other,  the  big,  fair 
man  and  the  worn  version  of  Shakespeare,  both  won 
dering  how  long  it  would  be  decorous  to  chatter  be 
fore  they  clinched  with  the  vital  topic. 

"May  as  well  sit  down.  There's  time  for  a  ciga 
rette.  Terry "  Sir  Tobias  made  a  short-winded 

attempt  to  push  a  second  arm-chair  into  place  be 
side  the  fire;  Tabs  achieved  the  desired  end  with 
one  lurch  of  his  body.  "Terry  brought  some  one 
in  to  tea ;  he's  not  gone  yet.  They  never  know  when 
to  go.  these  New  Army  fellows.  Good  at  their  job, 
they  tell  me,  but  no  polish.  I  suppose  I  oughtn't 
to  say  that — ungrateful  of  me!  But  I'm  sick  of  it 
all,  the  invasion  of  the  classes,  the  women  in  trousers, 
the  beggars  on  horseback,  the  Jazz  music.  I  want 
the  old  world  back — the  womanly  women,  everybody 
labeled,  and  Beethoven." 

He  pushed  the  cigarette-box  fretfully  across  to 
Tabs,  having  first  selected  one  for  himself. 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  71 

"Beethoven,"  he  snorted,  "that's  what  I  want,  and 
no  bobbed  hair  and  everybody  happily  married." 

"This  New  Army  chap  who's  with  Terry,"  Tabs 
paused  to  make  his  voice  unanxious  and  ordinary, 
"does  she  see  much  of  him?  Is  she  fond  of  him?" 

"Fond  of  him!"  The  little  man  jerked  round 
quickly.  He  was  in  a  mood  to  see  the  shadow  of 
terror  in  the  most  far-fetched  suggestion.  "If  I 
thought  she  was,  I  should  pack  her  off  to  Lady  Dawn 
and  keep  her  with  her  until  the  fellow  was  dead 
or " 

"What's  the  matter  with  him?"  Tabs  flipped  the 
ash  off  his  cigarette  indifferently. 

"The  matter  with  him!"  Sir  Tobias  pulled  at 
the  point  of  his  beard,  making  a  mental  effort  to 
frame  the  charge.  "If  you'd  asked  me  that  question 
five  years  ago  I  could  have  told  you;  but  not  now. 
In  1914  we  spoke  of  a  man  as  belonging  to  our  class 
and  meant  that  he  had  our  standards  of  conduct,  our 
code  of  honor,  our  sense  of  public  duty,  our  tradi 
tions — that  he  could  be  trusted  to  run  true  to  form. 
To-day  any  man's  a  gentleman,  provided  he  killed 
enough  Germans." 

"But  still  you  do  feel  that  there's  something  the 
matter  with  him." 

"Yes,  but  I  can't  tell  you  for  the  life  of  me  why  I 
feel  it.  In  many  ways  he's  admirable :  I  believe  he's 
about  the  youngest  brigadier  we  have  who  rose  from 
the  ranks.  There  was  no  hanky-panky  about  his 
promotion  either — no  petticoat  influence;  it  was  all 
sheer  merit  and  courage.  He  was  a  fighting-man 
from  first  to  last  and  shared  all  the  chances.  But 


72   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

the  trouble  is  that  one  doesn't  know  where  he  came 
from,  and,  therefore,  one  can't  be  sure  where  he's 
going.  I  know  that  sounds  snobbish.  You  have 
the  right  to  tell  me  that  if  a  man  was  good  enough 
to  be  butchered  to  save  an  old  chap  like  myself,  he 
ought  to  be  good  enough  to  sit  down  with  me  at  the 
same  table.  But  what  people  don't  realize  is  that 
men  have  been  wounded  in  protecting  old  chaps  like 
myself  in  coal-mines,  and  on  railroads,  and  a  thou 
sand  other  places  ever  since  the  world  started,  but 
until  now  we  never  felt  it  necessary  to  offer  them  a 
bed  in  our  houses.  War  asked  for  the  simplest  gifts 
from  men,  physical  strength,  uncomplaining  endur 
ance  and  courage.  The  war's  ended,  and  if  those 
same  gifts  are  to  continue  to  secure  social  advance 
ment,  every  policeman  who  captures  a  burglar  ought 
to  be  made  a  bank-president.  When  I  demand  that 
a  man  shall  have  traditions  to  be  my  friend,  I  ask 
no  more  than  when  I  refuse  to  buy  a  dog  without  a 
pedigree." 

"But  this  man,  what's  he  called?  If  he's  as  dis 
tinguished  as  you  say,  I  ought  to  have  heard  of 
him." 

Before  his  host  could  answer,  the  door  was  dis 
creetly  opened.  "Dinner  is  being  served,  Sir 
Tobias." 

There  was  a  rush  of  light  footsteps  and  Terry 
breezed  past  the  butler.  "I  know  you're  going  to 
scold  me,  Daddy.  It's  all  my  fault  that  you  were 
kept  waiting.  It  took  me  so  long  to  persuade  Gen 
eral  Braithwaite.  By  the  time  he'd  consented • 

I  had  to  dress  like  a  hurricane.  I'm  not  at  all  sure 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  73 

that  Fm  properly  hooked  up  the  back.  I  know  I 
feel  draughty."  Then,  as  though  she  had  not  re 
membered  that  he  was  expected,  "Why,  hullo,  Tabs ! 
In  a  dinner-jacket!  You  do  look  peaceful  and 
jolly." 

VI 

They  had  taken  their  places  at  the  square  hand 
some  table,  illuminated  at  each  corner  by  a  silver 
candle-stick,  red-shaded  and  electric-lighted.  Tabs 
and  Terry  were  seated  side  by  side,  so  that  he  saw 
her  always  in  profile,  except  when  she  turned  to  him 
in  conversation.  He  saw  the  soft  roundness  of  her 
shoulder,  the  satin  pallor  of  her  throat  and  breast, 
the  quivering  gold  of  her  childishly  wavy  hair. 

The  General  sat  isolated,  opposite  and  facing 
them.  Sir  Tobias  and  his  wife  sat  at  either  end — 
had  they  known  it,  for  all  the  world  like  judges. 

Lady  Beddow  was  a  proud,  unbending  woman, 
gracious  to  her  own  sort,  unquestioningly  respectful 
to  those  above  her,  tender  in  a  practical  way  to  those 
below  her  and  coldly  scrutinizing  to  any  one  who 
tapped  at  her  door  claiming  to  be  an  equal.  Being 
bred  to  her  finger-tips,  she  was  as  ill-at-ease  as  her 
husband  in  the  jostling  democracy  of  the  moment. 

In  the  hall  Sir  Tobias  rather  huffily  had  intro 
duced  his  guests.  Tabs  had  relieved  the  tension  by 
smiling  quietly  at  Braithwaite,  "The  General  and  I 
have  met  before." 

It  was  an  uncomfortable  dinner  from  the  moment 
they  sat  down.  Sir  Tobias,  although  he  had  shown 
no  signs  of  it  in  the  library,  seemed  to  have  devel- 


74   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

oped  a  resentment  at  having  been  kept  waiting.  No 
reference  was  made  to  this  resentment,  but  Terry 
and  the  General  were  obviously  the  culprits.  Sir 
Tobias  was  vaguely  unhappy  and  had  to  blame 
somebody.  Under  the  tacitly  implied  criticism  Ter 
ry's  rebellious  spirits  rose  higher,  but  the  General's 
authoritative  assurance  began  to  crumble. 

Sir  Tobias  was  continuing  the  conversation  which 
had  started  in  the  library.  He  seemed  oblivious  to 
the  fact  that  it  had  then  concerned  the  man  who 
was  now  present.  "You  can't  make  the  world  afresh 
with  a  catastrophe.  Men  are  like  water:  in  a  storm 
they  rise  above  or  sink  below  themselves.  When  the 
disturbance  is  ended,  they  tend  to  find  their  own 
level.  War  destroys ;  it  never  created  anything." 

"That's  not  true,*if  you'll  excuse  me  for  contra 
dicting  you.  You're  speaking  without  knowledge." 
Braithwaite  uttered  himself  bluntly  as  he  would  have 
done  in  his  own  Headquarters'  mess — this  despite  the 
fact  that  it  was  Tabs  whom  his  host  had  been  ad 
dressing. 

In  his  astonishment,  Sir  Tobias  nearly  gagged 
himself  with  the  soup  that  he  was  on  the  point  of 
swallowing.  He  blinked  mildly  at  this  confident 
young  man,  his  breast  ablaze  with  decorations, 
whom  he  had  not  invited.  "Then,  in  your  opinion, 
what  has  war  ever  created,"  he  asked  with  dangerous 
courtesy;  "this  war,  for  instance,  that's  just 
ended?" 

"This  war  that's  just  ended  is  the  only  war  of 
which  I  have  had  any  experience."  Braithwaite 
glanced  across  at  Terry  for  encouragement.  "I 


75 

know  what  it  created  in  me  and  in  thousands  like 
me.  It  created  in  us  the  most  valuable  of  all  assets 
— character.  In  the  bitter  test  of  pain  and  dirt  and 
despair  we  found  ourselves — found  ourselves  capable 
of  more  nobility  than  we  had  ever  dreamt  possible. 
We  sorted  out  afresh,  in  hours  that  we  thought 
would  be  our  last,  all  our  inherited  superstitions  and 
servilities ;  in  so  doing  we  discovered  that  God  and 
life  itself  are  much  kinder  than  we  had  been  informed. 
Because  of  that  discovery  men  who  had  been  timid 
learnt  how  to  face  death  gladly,  shirkers  how  to 
shoulder  responsibility,  selfish  people  how  to  be 
come  decent  through  the  fine  humanity  of  sharing. 
Time-servers  learnt  how  to  get  up  off  their  bellies 
and  confront  misfortune  with  a  laugh.  I  don't  know 
whether  I  make  myself  clear;  perhaps  one  had  to  be 
a  part  of  the  great  game  to  understand  its  lessons. 
That  we  do  understand  them  is  the  reward  of  those 
who  have  survived.  We've  come  back  to  you  as  un 
comfortable  fellows ;  we  shall  be  much  more  uncom 
fortable  before  we're  satisfied.  We  intend  to  fight 
for  the  same  equalities  in  peace  that  you  sent  us 
out  to  fight  for  in  war.  You  asked  me  what  this 
particular  war  has  created ;  it  has  created  a  com 
plete  new  set  of  social  and  spiritual  values.  It's 
done  away  with  the  uncharity  of  caste." 

During  his  last  words  he  had  been  gazing  across 
the  table  at  Tabs  with  a  fearless  challenge,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "That's  who  I  am.  Now  expose  me." 

But  Tabs  was  remembering  the  coster's  reason  for 
not  having  dragged  him  into  the  police-courts, 
"Served  in  the  ranks,  did  yer?  Then  you  and  me 


76   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

was  pals  out  there !"  Braithwaite,  whether  he  knew 
it  or  not,  ho'l  been  doing  a  piece  of  special  pleading 
for  himself.  He  and  Braithwaite,  whatever  they 
might  be  now,  had  been  pals  out  there.  Silently 
Tabs  had  been  thinking  while  he  had  been  listening, 
"You're  right  and  I'm  with  you.  I'd  be  with  you 
still  more  if  you'd  only  live  up  to  your  standards  by 
sticking  to  Ann." 

It  was  Sir  Tobias  who  took  the  offensive.  The 
soup-plates  had  been  removed  and  the  fish-course 
had  not  yet  been  served.  He  had  the  leisure  to  talk. 
"You  men  who  have  been  in  the  Army,"  he  said  tes 
tily,  "especially  those  of  you  who  have  gained  your 
promotion  rapidly,  always  speak  as  if  the  rest  of  us 
had  been  receivers  of  stolen  goods  until  you  put  on 
uniforms.  Armies  are  composed  of  youth;  for  most 
of  you  it  was  the  first  time  you  had  tasted  authority. 
It's  gone  to  your  heads ;  you  want  to  brush  experi 
ence  aside  and  dragoon  the  older  world  into  new 
formations.  You,  who  were  civilians  yourselves, 
have  come  back  despisinn-  us  civilians;  your  con 
tempt  is  three-parts  fear  lest  you'll  fail,  as  you 
failed  before,  in  the  old  civilian  competitive  struggle. 
You  talk  about  the  virtues  war  has  taught ;  let's 
grant  them  .uid  grant  them  gratefully — they  saved 
us  from  destruction.  But  what  about  the  frantic 
recklessness  it  encouraged,  the  cheap  views  of  bodily 
chastity,  the  desperate  insistence  on  momentary  hap 
piness?"  At  the  mention  of  bodily  chastity,  Lady 
Beddow  from  the  other  end  of  the  table  had  stuttered 
a  "tut,  tut!"  Her  husband  dodged  it,  as  a  boy 
might  dodge  a  wheelbarrow  upset  in  his  path.  With- 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  77 

out  shifting  his  glance  he  ran  on.  "A  complete  new 
set  of  social  and  spiritual  values !  Rubbish !  War 
places  an  excessive  premium  on  merely  brutal  quali 
ties — muscle,  bone,  sinew,  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
physical  endurance.  What  use  has  it  got  for  old 
fellows  of  intellectual  attainments  like  myself?  It 
takes  the  greatest  poet,  singer,  painter,  violinist ;  all 
it  can  do  with  him  is  to  thrust  a  rifle  into  his  hands. 
All  brains  look  alike,  Michael  Angelo's  or  a  rag 
picker's,  when  they're  spattered  in  the  mud  of  a 
trench.  Take  Lord  Taborley  here,  for  instance — all 
that  military  stupidity  could  do  with  him  was  to 
keep  him  in  the  ranks  for  two  years.  You  can't  make 
me  believe  in  your  complete  new  set  of  social  and 
spiritual  values.  A  complete  unrest  and  insubordi 
nation  to  time-honored  moralities  is  the  legacy  of 
war." 

Having  delivered  himself,  he  tucked  his  napkin 
tighter  into  his  waistcoat  and  attacked  the  fish- 
course,  as  though  by  this  display  of  gastronomic 
energy  he  could  somehow  strengthen  his  argument. 

It  was  clear  to  Tabs  that  behind  all  that  Sir 
Tobias  had  been  saying  lay  his  misery  over  Maisie 
and  Adair.  He  saw  the  world  always  in  the  per 
sonal  equation. 

"I  agree  with  most  of  your  statements,"  the  Gen 
eral  blundered  on.  "And  yet  you're  wrong.  You 
miss  something.  I  think  it's  the  vision  of  the  stu 
pendous  heroism.  You  never  saw  it ;  you  don't  want 
to  see  it.  That  you  never  saw  it  we  can  understand ; 
but  that  you  shouldn't  want  to  see  it,  makes  us  see 
red.  It  was  something  that  we  did  for  you,  and  you 


78   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

take  it  all  for  granted.  You  cheered  us  and  jeered 
us  into  going  because  you  were  frightened.  You 
handed  us  white  feathers  if  we  hesitated.  You 
dragged  us  from  our  jobs  and  very  often  we  were 
poor  men,  who  had  no  such  financial  security  as  was 
yours.  You  promised  that  if  we  would  share  our 
lives  with  you,  you'd  go  fifty-fifty  with  us  on  your 
financial  security.  There  wasn't  time  to  have  deeds 
of  agreement  drawn  up ;  we  took  you  at  your  word. 
And  what  a  lie  it  was !  Why,  I  passed  a  blinded 
officer  in  Regent  Street  to-day  peddling  shoe-laces. 
The  day  before  a  jobless  soldier  threw  himself  be 
neath  a  train  and  his  last  words  were,  'Over  the  top 
and  the  best  of  luck.'  There's  a  Colonel  I  see  by 
to-night's  paper  who's  gone  back  to  being  a  police 
man.  If  you  see  a  man  in  uniform  to-day,  your 
unspoken  thought  is,  'For  God's  sake  take  it  off.' 
I  tell  you  it's  all  wrong.  It's  that  kind  of  ingrati 
tude  that  leads  to  revolution.  You  talk  about  the 
brutality  of  war ;  it's  not  a  patch  on  the  brutality  of 
peace.  You  treated  men's  lives  as  yours  while  the 
danger  lasted,  but  you  insist  that  your  possessions 
are  your  own  now  that  it's  been  averted." 

He  took  a  breath  and  glanced  round. 

Tabs  was  nodding  unconscious  approval.  Terry's 
face  reflected  the  fire  of  his  own  passionate  indigna 
tion  and  enthusiasm.  The  butler  in  the  shadows 
had  turned  his  back  non-committally  and  was  mak 
ing  a  pretense  of  fiddling  with  the  next  course. 
Lady  Bcddow  sat  very  upright  and  startled,  grasp 
ing  her  knife  and  fork  as  though  they  helped  to 
support  her.  The  only  person  who  was  still  doing 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  79 

justice  to  the  meal  was  the  worn-out  version  of 
Shakespeare,  who  was  responsible  for  the  storm. 

The  silence  seemed  to  call  for  a  final  climax.  The 
ex-valet  cleared  his  throat.  And  it  was  to  his  ex- 
valet  that  Tabs  listened ;  he  had  forgotten  the  Gen 
eral.  It  was  as  though  the  grimness  of  reality  had 
interrupted  a  piece  of  play-acting.  There  was  less 
heat  in  Braithwaite's  voice  now  and  more  reproach. 
"You  said  nothing  about  caste  in  those  days,  when 
you  hurried  us  to  the  shambles.  You  promised 
us What  was  it  that  you  promised  us?" 

"A  kingdom  round  the  corner,"  Tabs  suggested. 
The  next  minute  he  felt  Terry's  warm  little  hand 
clinging  to  his  own  beneath  the  tablecloth. 

Braithwaite  stared  at  Tabs  to  see  whether  he 
were  jesting;  then  smiled  in  relieved  friendship  at 
this  proof  of  comradeship  from  an  unexpected  quar 
ter.  "Yes,  perhaps  it  was  that — a  future  kindliness, 
where  we  should  all  be  men  together,  neither  free 
nor  bond.'*  Then  again  to  his  host,  "You  sent  us 
out  there  where  everything  was  censored.  Scarcely 
a  whisper  of  the  truth  reached  you.  The  very  war- 
correspondents  were  instructed  to  delete  the  horror 
and  to  write  nothing  that  would  disturb  your  calm. 
We've  come  back,  what  are  left  of  us ;  we  think  you 
ought  to  know  what  really  happened.  It  isn't  that 
we  take  much  pleasure  in  telling  you,  but  we  think 
that  if  you  knew,  you  might  be  persuaded  to  keep 
at  least  some  of  your  promises.  And  what  do  you 
do?  You  reassert  your  privilege  to  despise  us.  You 
stuff  your  fingers  in  your  ears  and  talk  about  caste, 


80   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

and  forgetting  the  war,  and  getting  back  to  work. 
Sir  Tobias,  I'm  afraid  I'm  being  far  too  personal, 
but  you're  a  sample  of  millions  who  weren't  there. 
You're  living  in  a  totally  altered  world  of  whose 
very  existence  you're  content  to  be  unaware.  Your 
complacency  drives  men  like  myself  to  the  point  of 
madness.  We  hold  that  you  have  no  right  to  be 
complacent  until  the  bill  you  put  your  hand  to  has 
been  settled.  I  don't  know  how  Lord  Taborley  feels ; 
he's  not  expressed — 

"Tabs  feels  exactly  the  way  you  do  and  so  do 
I."  It  was  Terry  speaking,  like  the  shrill  courage 
of  a  bugle  answering  the  slow  bass  of  a  trumpet-call. 
"We're  the  world  that  purchased  victory — we  three, 
while  the  rest  of  the  world  sat  back.  It  was  men 
like  you  two  who  got  gassed,  and  wrenched,  and  tor 
tured,  and  girls  like  myself  who  patched  you  up  and 
flirted  with  you  so  that  we  might  send  you  back  to 
the  Front  cheery — girls  like  myself  who  hadn't 
known  love,  or  children,  or  anything  but  a  nursery 
sort  of  happiness.  We  three  and  people  like  us 
understand,  because  we  paid  the  price  together." 

"Really,  Terry,  I  must  confess  there  are  times 
when  you  shock  me."  As  Lady  Beddow  rose  from 
her  seat,  she  was  the  picture  of  disapproval.  From 
the  door,  which  the  butler  held  open  for  her,  she 
glanced  back.  "I  think  this  discussion  has  gone 
very  far." 

As  she  swept  out,  she  called  across  her  shoulder, 
as  one  might  call  to  a  pet  dog,  "Come,  Terry." 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  81 

VII 

But  Terry  did  not  come;  she  sat  on  tightly,  just 
as  if  she  were  a  man  among  men.  Until  coffee  had 
been  served  and  the  room  was  free  from  servants, 
there  was  a  pretense  at  small-talk  in  which  Sir  To 
bias  did  not  join.  He  crouched  moodily  in  his  chair, 
an  unlighted  cigar  between  his  fingers,  looking  very 
old  and  somehow  deserted.  With  the  instinctive  ten 
derness  which  she  always  showed  when  she  knew 
that  she  had  hurt,  Terry  got  up  and  went  to  him. 
She  linked  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  stooped  to 
kiss  the  bald-spot  on  his  head.  "Cheer  up,  Daddy 
dear;  it  isn't  half  as  bad  as  it  sounded.  Don't  you 
want  me  to  light  your  cigar  for  you?" 

Tabs,  to  distract  attention  from  the  reconcilia 
tion,  addressed  the  General.  It  was  odd  that  he 
should  feel  so  much  sympathy  for  a  man  whom  his 
letters,  already  beyond  recall,  would  stir  into  panic 
in  the  morning.  "Do  you  intend  to  stay  in  the 
Army,  sir?" 

"No.  But  why  do  you  ask?  They're  getting  rid 
of  all  of  us  who  aren't  Regulars,  no  matter  how 
brilliant  our  service.  They're  making  the  Army 
again  a  social  club.  I  shall  soon  be  out  of  uni 
form." 

"And  then?"  Tabs  persisted. 

"Oh,  then  I  shall  find  something  else."  He  spoke 
airily,  but  the  shadow  which  crossed  his  handsome 
face  added  plainly  as  words,  "If  I  can  find  any 
thing." 


82   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"If  it  is/'*",  impertinence,"  Tabs  sank  his  voice, 
"may  I  ask  what  you  intend  to  turn  to?" 

The  General  eyed  him  suspiciously,  wondering 
whether  he  was  again  about  to  lay  claim  to  the  pre 
vious  embarrassing  acquaintance.  "I  have  several 
things  in  view,"  he  said  sketchily,  "from  which  a 
man  in  my  position  ought  to  be  able  to  choose." 

"Ought!  But  that  hasn't  been  the  story  up-to- 
date.  What  of  the  Colonel  you  were  just  telling  us 
about?"  Tabs  saw  that  another  storm  was  brew 
ing.  He  leant  across  the  table  and  hurried  on.  "If 
the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  I  expect  your  old  job's 
waiting  for  you.  The  qualities  which  have  made 
you  what  you  are  to-day,  must  have  been  recognized 
and  valued —  Terry  had  completed  her  recon 

ciliation  with  her  father  and  was  resting  her  gaze 
upon  them.  Tabs  altered  his  tone.  "You  put  what 
you  said  at  dinner  rather  strongly,  sir.  But  I 
understand  what  you  were  driving  at — it  was  the 
democracy  of  the  front-line  where  courage,  which  at 
its  best  is  unselfishness,  was  our  only  standard  of 
aristocracy." 

Before  the  General  could  make  reply,  Sir  Tobias 
had  raised  his  bewildered  head.  "It's  a  thing  that 
I  for  one  don't  want  to  understand.  I  don't  want 
to  go  on  living,  if  what  you've  said  is  true." 

Tabs  turned  considerately  to  the  older  man.  "I 
think  you  would  if  you  knew.  The  difference  that 
war  made  to  all  of  us  who  were  there  was  that  it 
taught  us  to  judge  men  by  their  good  points  rather 
than  their  defects.  It  upset  all  our  preconceived 
notions  about  society,  especially  our  notions  about 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  83 

the  extreme  value  of  race  and  breeding.  What  we 
learnt  was  that  there's  a  breeding  of  the  heart  which 
enables  a  man  from  the  gutter  to  run  true  to  the 
highest  form." 

Sir  Tobias  leveled  his  weary  eyes  in  challenge. 
"Then  what  about  Adair?" 

The  name  was  out  at  last — the  name  which  he  had 
been  trying  to  get  uttered  all  evening.  It  didn't 
matter  that  Adair  hadn't  been  at  the  war  and  had 
no  proper  place  in  the  argument.  He  had  wanted 
to  break  through  his  reticence  due  to  his  sense  of 
impending  family  disaster.  At  last  he  had  done  it. 

"I  think,  Daddy,"  Terry  said,  "the  General  and 
I  had  better  leave  you  and  Tabs  to  talk  alone." 

The  next  thing  that  Tabs  saw  was  Terry  making 
her  escape  with  this  other  man.  He  had  it  in  his 
power  to  settle  his  suspense  for  all  time  by  saying, 
"One  minute,  Terry.  You're  choosing  between  the 
General  and  myself.  It  may  help  you  in  making 
your  decision  to  know  that  Braithwaite  was 
once —  But  the  coster's  definition  of  fair-play 

deterred  him.  This  man  had  been  his  pal  in  the 
trenches ;  because  of  that  he  allowed  himself  for 
the  second  time  that  day  to  be  shut  out  from  the 
company  of  youth.  He  hadn't  discovered  how  much 
or  how  little  she  knew.  By  her  withdrawal  he  was 
made  to  feel  middle-aged — more  nearly  her  father's 
contemporary  than  ever.  Yet,  as  an  underlying 
comfort  to  his  distress,  he  had  the  remembered  pres 
sure  of  the  little  hand  that  had  sought  his  own  in 
secret  friendliness. 

He  turned  to  Sir  Tobias.  "Yes,  what  about  Adair? 


84   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Terry   said  that   you   wanted   to    consult   me.      If 
there's  anything  that  I  can  say  or  do " 


VIII 

The  door  was  re-opening.  Tabs  glanced  back 
across  his  shoulder  through  the  shadows.  She  was 
hovering  just  inside  the  threshold,  hastily  clad  in 
her  evening-wrap ;  beyond  her  in  the  hall  the  General 
stood  fidgeting  with  his  cap.  Sir  Tobias  was  sitting 
with  his  head  bowed;  he  had  not  heard  the  sound  of 
her  reentry.  He  spoke  evidently  believing  that  they 
two  were  alone.  "I  don't  like  that  fellow.  It's  the 
last  time  he  ever  comes  to  my  house.  Whatever 

Terry  can  see  in  him And  he's  not  good  for 

Terry." 

She  tiptoed  back  into  the  hall,  pulling  the  door 
softly  behind  her.  A  moment  later  the  front  door 
closed  with  a  bang. 

"What  was  that?"  Sir  Tobias  looked  up  gnome- 
like  and  startled. 

Tabs  guessed  what  it  was ;  but  because,  as  she 
had  said  they  three  had  paid  the  price  together,  he 
kept  her  secret.  "General  Braithwaite,  probably. 
But  you  were  speaking  of  Adair?" 

Sir  Tobias  shivered,  betraying  his  nervous  ten 
sion.  "A  disturber,"  he  said  irritably,  "even  in  his 
going.  And  yet,  I  suppose  it's  true ;  we  shouldn't 
be  sitting  here  comfortably  to-night  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  his  sort." 

Now  that  it  had  been  broached,  it  was  anything 
to  avoid  the  main  topic.  He  drummed  with  his 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  85 

fingers  on  the  table,  ceased  drumming  and  sighed 
heavily.  "Yes,  I  was  speaking  of  Adair.  I  don't 
understand  him.  I've  grown  out  of  touch ;  I  don't 
seem  to  understand  anybody.  I'm  left  behind,  some 
how.  People  do  things  to-day  that  they  never  used 
to  do.  They  shout  about  things  from  the  house-tops 
which  all  my  life  I've  mentioned  only  in  whispers. 
Terry  does ;  you  heard  what  she  said  to-night  about 
never  having  been  loved  and  never  having  had  chil 
dren.  The  loss  of  delicacy 

"I  wouldn't  call  it  a  loss  of  delicacy."  Tabs 
struck  a  match.  "I  would  call  it  a  loss  of  prudish- 
ness.  We  all  know  that  girls  are  born  to  be  married 
and  that  the  best  of  them  long  to  have  children. 
Why  shouldn't  they  own  it  ?  You  owned  it  long  ago 
when  you  bought  her  dolls.  The  lid  is  off  false  reti 
cences.  I  hope  it  stays  off;  we  shall  be  a  much 
honester  world." 

"The  lid's  off!  That's  the  phrase  I  was  search 
ing  for."  Sir  Tobias  leant  forward  confidentially. 
"You  haven't  been  much  in  England  during  the  past 
four  years  or  you'd  know  how  badly  the  lid  is  off. 
You  men,  when  you  were  in  the  trenches,  lived  above 
yourselves ;  but,  the  moment  you  came  home  on  leave, 
you  taught  the  world  that  wasn't  in  khaki  how  to 
live  below  itself.  I  could  tell  you  stories — — " 

"I  know."  Tabs  didn't  want  to  hear  those  stories. 
"It  was  pathetic.  Men  tried  to  steal  in  a  handful 
of  hours  all  the  passionate  experiences  that  would 
have  come  to  them  beautifully  and  legitimately  over 
forty  years.  It  was  like  snatching  from  a  bargain- 
counter  things  that  you  hadn't  time  to  pay  for. 


86   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

You  were  young  and  you  were  so  soon  to  be  snuffed 
out.  The  unthoughtful  took  desperately  what  they 
believed  life  owed  them.  They — 

It  was  the  turn  of  Sir  Tobias  to  interrupt.  "But 
so  did  the  women — this  Maisie  woman,  for  instance. 
It  was  astounding — the  women  one  would  least  have 
expected.  All  the  desires  we  had  caged  through  the 
centuries  broke  loose — caged  with  traditions,  with 
public  opinion  and  scriptural  penalties.'*  He  was 
delighted  with  his  image  and  went  on  to  elaborate 
it.  "They  broke  loose  like  wild  animals  from  a 
menagerie.  We'd  always  known  they  existed.  Some 
times  we'd  paid  surreptitious  visits  to  them  in 
books,"  the  old  eyes  blinked  cautiously,  "the  wray  one 
goes  to  the  Zoo,  to  remind  himself  that  there  is  a 
jungle  somewhere.  But  we'd  only  regarded  them  as 
specimens ;  we'd  never  expected  to  meet  them  roam 
ing  about  the  streets  loose  or  coming  as  domestic 
pets  into  our  houses.  Now  the  war's  ended  and  the 
jungle's  all  about  us;  we  can't  get  the  animals  back 
into  their  cages.  Fellows  like  this  General  Braith- 
waite  don't  help  matters  by  telling  us  that  we 
oughtn't  to  want  to  get  them  back — 

"Perhaps  he's  one  of  the  animals,"  Tabs  inter 
polated.  "You  couldn't  expect  him  to  want  to  be 
put  back." 

"Perhaps  he  is.  In  fact  that's  what  I've  felt 
about  him.  That's  what's  helped  me  to  make  up  my 
mind  that  he  shall  see  no  more  of  Terry."  He 
reached  out  and  tapped  Tabs'  hand,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  he  was  his  ally.  "The  sight's  becom 
ing  far  too  normal — wild  beasts  everywhere,  sunning 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  87 

themselves  in  impertinent  freedom,  as  if  they  were 
house-cats.  Nobody's  shocked  at  it  any  longer. 
Terry  isn't.  Lloyd  George  isn't — at  least  he  pre 
tends  he  isn't  for  fear  the  wild  beasts  may  lose  him 
an  election.  No  one  makes  a  stand.  It's  left  for 
private  individuals  like  ourselves,  to " 

"To  do  what?" 

Sir  Tobias  lost  his  stride.  He  blinked  reproach 
fully.  "To  get  them  back  into  their  cages." 

For  an  instant  Tabs  nearly  smiled.  "And  Adair 
— is  he  the  first  wild  beast  we  tackle?  Have  we  got 
to  get  him  back  into  the  cage  of  matrimony?  Tell 
me  about  Adair."  / 

"It  was  no  cage."  Sir  Tobias  spoke  almost  re 
sentfully.  "His  home  was  a  kind  of  nest  and  Phyllis 
was  the  mother-bird." 

The  butler  had  looked  in  several  times  to  see 
whether  he  was  free  to  clear  away.  For  the  first 
time  Sir  Tobias  became  aware  of  him  pottering  in 
the  shadows.  "Perhaps  we'd  better  continue  in  my 
library." 

He  pushed  back  his  chair,  dropped  his  napkin, 
groped  after  it  feebly,  then  led  the  way  solemnly 
across  the  hall.  When  he  had  seated  himself  before 
the  fire  and  fortified  his  courage  with  a  fresh  cigar, 
he  plunged  headlong  into  the  story  of  his  son-in- 
law's  delinquencies. 

IX 

"How  a  man  who  has  a  daughter  of  mine  for  his 
wife  can  find  attraction  in  any  other  woman  is  more 
than  I  can  fathom." 


88   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"I  agree  with  you  there,  sir."  Tabs  suddenly 
found  himself  carried  off  his  feet  and  on  the  point 
of  a  confession.  "If  any  man  were  to  play  false  by 
Terry,  I  think — I  think  I'd  brain  him." 

Sir  Tobias  half-closed  his  eyes  and  regarded  his 
guest  with  sleepy  approval.  "I  somehow  knew,"  he 
said  slowly,  "that  that  was  how  you  felt."  Then  he 
opened  his  eyes  wide  and  darted  forward  in  his  chair, 
as  though  to  trace  exactly  the  effect  of  his  words. 
He  was  full  of  tricks  and  contradictions,  obstinacies 
and  tendernesses,  this  Punch-like  old  gentleman  with 
the  head  of  Shakespeare.  "I  knew  that  was  how  you 
felt,"  he  continued,  "because  you've  seen  all  the  love 
that  has  gone  to  their  making.  You  were  already  a 
big  fellow  when  they  were  still  tiny.  Wasn't  it  Terry 
who  first  called  you  Tabs  because  her  tongue 
couldn't  get  round  Taborley?  Ah,  I've  been  so 
proud  of  my  girls !  They  were  so  little  and  white 
when  they  first  came  to  us.  They  couldn't  walk — 
not  a  step.  One  had  to  carry  them  everywhere. 
Then  they  began  to  crawl;  they  couldn't  stand  up 
right  unless  one  gave  them  his  hand.  And  then  at 
last  they  walked.  They  walked  by  one's  side  at  first 
and  soon  got  tired.  But  as  they  grew  stronger,  they 
walked  away  and  away,  always  getting  more  incom 
prehensible,  till  finally — it  hasn't  happened  to 
Terry  yet — till  finally  they  met  a  man.  Wait  till 
you're  a  father,  Lord  Taborley;  from  the  moment 
you  give  all  that  whiteness  into  another's  keeping, 
you  never  cease  to  be  jealous  of  him.  He  can  never 
appreciate  what  a  gift  you  have  made  him.  He 
never  saw  her  when  she  was  little  and  helpless.  She's 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  89 

your  youth — she's  everything  vigorous  that  you 
were.  The  first  time  he  affords  you  with  a  reason 
for  hating  him,  you'll  hate  him  like —  The  way 
you  said:  so  that  you  could  brain  him  without  com 
punction.  Adair —  I  could  cheerfully  kill  him." 

Tabs  felt  rather  than  heard  the  pent-up  passion 
in  his  voice ;  it  alarmed  him  with  its  sincerity.  "But 
mayn't  you  be  exaggerating?'*  he  suggested.  "Are 

you  sure  that  Adair What  I  mean  to  say  is, 

he  may  be  only  philandering.  Heaps  of  men  do  that 
— go  through  all  the  motions  of  making  fools  of 
themselves  and  actually  do  nothing.  He  may  be  only 
expressing  the  discontent  of  the  moment,  the  revolt 
from  suspense,  the  flatness  of  quiet  after  terrible  ex 
citements.  One  didn't  need  to  be  a  fighting-man  to 
share  those  excitements.  You  say  that  Phyllis  made 
a  nest  of  her  home.  Perhaps  he  didn't  like  nests.  It 
may  be  that  that's  done  it.  Adair  can't  have  altered 
so  radically  over  night;  he  wasn't  forceful  enough 
to  erupt  so  disastrously.  He  was  decent " 

"I  know  nothing  definite."  The  passion  had  died 
down.  It  was  again  an  old  and  weary  man  who 
spoke.  "I  only  know  that  she  believes  he's  aban 
doning  her  and  that  it  makes  her  wretched.  She 
wants  him  back;  if  there's  any  way  of  getting  him 
back,  she  must  have  him.  I  never  denied  anything 
to  my  girls.  If  money  will  persuade  him,  it's  for  you 
to  find  out  how  much.  If  this  Lockwood  woman  has 
a  price,  let  her  state  it.  I'll  spare  nothing.  Though 
everything  else  has  lost  its  value,  money  still  has  the 
power  to  purchase.  I  can't  buy  back  faithfulness 
and  loyalty ;  but  I  should  be  able  to  buy  the  appear- 


90   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ance  of  it.  If  I  were  you  I  would  tackle  this  Lock- 
wood  woman  first." 

He  tossed  the  stub  of  his  cigar  towards  the  fire. 
It  fell  short  in  the  grate.  He  picked  it  up  and 
rammed  it  deep  into  the  burning  coals.  He  looked  a 
poor,  old,  pitiful  child,  uttering  embittered  heresies. 
"All  women  are  mercenary;  all  of  them  except  my 
wife  and  daughters.  Ah,  yes,  and  Lady  Dawn." 

Tabs  wondered  what  Lady  Dawn  had  done  to  gain 
exemption  from  this  sweeping  accusation.  "I'll  see 
this  Maisie  Lockwood  to-morrow,"  he  said,  "if  you 
can  tell  me  where  she  lives." 

Sir  Tobias  had  risen  and  was  seating  himself  at 
his  desk.  "I'll  copy  you  out  her  address.  I  have 
it  somewhere  buried  among  these  papers." 

He  had  hidden  it  so  thoroughly  that  it  took  a 
few  minutes  to  find.  As  he  rustled  sundry  sheets 
and  stooped  over  them  round-shouldered,  Tabs  had 
time  to  reflect.  Terry!  Where  was  she?  She  was 
so  little  and  unprotected  and  white.  Would  a  day 
ever  come  when  a  man  would  play  her  false?  At 
this  moment  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  prevent  that 
day  from  ever  arriving. 

"Ah,  here  it  is !"  It  was  his  host  talking.  Then 
the  painful  scratching  of  the  pen  commenced. 

"Sir  Tobias,  I  want  to  speak  to  you  about 
Terry."  The  scratching  of  the  pen  stopped,  but 
the  shoulders  remained  bowed.  "This  is  an  unfor 
tunate  night  for  me  to  choose  to  talk  to  you  about 
her,  but—  -  To  tell  the  truth,  I  feel  that  if  I  don't 
speak  to-night  I  may  lose  my  chance." 

"What  do  you  want  to   say  about  her?"     The 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  91 

shoulders  had  unhunched  themselves,  but  the  head 
had  not  turned. 

"Only  this,  that  I've  loved  her  for  a  very  long 
while  and  that  if  you  don't  think  I'm  too  old,  I 
should  like  your  permission  to  ask  her  to  marry 
me." 

Tabs  thought  to  himself  with  a  glow  of  satisfac 
tion,  "At  last  I've  done  it.  And  done  it  in  just  the 
way  and  at  just  the  time  that  I'd  always  planned." 

He  felt  the  pride  of  a  man  who  had  worked  on 
schedule  and  been  punctual  to  the  second. 

Sir  Tobias  turned.  His  face  was  composed.  It 
was  some  seconds  before  he  spoke.  "Of  course  this 
is  no  surprise  to  me.  You  are  old  for  her.  You'll 
be  fifty-five  when  she's  scarcely  forty."  He  paused 
and  Tabs'  heart  sank.  "You're  older  than  her ;  but 
then  you're  wiser.  She  needs  a  husband  who'll  be 
wise."  He  sat  leisurely  as  though  he  were  resting 
from  a  long  journey;  then  he  stretched  out  his  hand. 
Tabs  went  over  and  took  it.  "My  dear  fellow, 
there's  only  one  thing  I  ask:  make  her  always 
happy." 

The  clock  in  the  hall  struck  midnight.  He  lifted 
himself  to  his  feet.  "I  had  no  idea  how  the  time 
had  flown.  By  the  way,  that's  the  address — the 
Maisie  woman's." 

Tabs  took  it  carelessly.  It  had  become  a  thing 
of  little  consequence.  He  folded  it  away  in  his 
pocket.  "And  when  shall  I  see  Terry?"  Of  a  sud 
den  he  felt  that  he  must  see  her;  see  her  and  make 
sure  of  her  without  loss  of  time. 

"To-morrow,  I  suppose.     Say  about  eleven." 


92   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Tabs  thought  back.  He  had  expected  to  receive 
a  call  from  General  Braithwaite  about  eleven,  or  at 
least  to  hear  from  him  as  soon  as  he  had  opened  his 
morning's  letters.  Then  he  smiled  to  himself;  when 
once  he  was  engaged  to  Terry,  what  General  Braith 
waite  did  or  did  not  do  would  be  no  longer  of  any 
importance. 

"Yes,  about  eleven,  if  it'll  be  agreeable  to  Terry." 

"There's  not  much  doubt  about  its  being  agree 
able  to  her." 

They  passed  out  into  the  hall.  While  Tabs  found 
his  hat  and  coat,  they  spoke  only  in  monosyllables. 
The  servants  had  gone  to  bed.  The  house  was  in 
tensely  silent. 

They  had  got  as  far  as  the  front-door  and  Sir 
Tobias  already  had  his  hand  upon  the  latch,  when  a 
taxi  purred  up  to  the  pavement  and  came  to  a  halt 
immediately  outside.  "Some  one  stopping  at  the 
wrong  house,"  he  hazarded  and  threw  the  door  wide. 
"See  you  again  to-morrow." 

"Yes,  to-morrow." 

"At  eleven,"  Sir  Tobias  reminded. 

"On  the  dot  of  eleven,"  Tabs  confirmed. 

He  passed  into  the  cool  night  air,  wistful  with  the 
fragrance  of  unseen  flowers.  His  eyes  were  dazed 
for  the  moment  by  the  sudden  change  of  light.  He 
made  out  the  blurred  silhouette  of  the  taxi  and  fal 
tered,  thinking  he  might  have  a  chance  to  hire  it; 
then  he  saw  that  its  shadowy  occupants  were  climb 
ing  back  into  its  deeper  darkness.  It  seemed  that 
Sir  Tobias  had  been  right ;  it  had  stopped  at  the 
wrong  house. 


RETRIEVERS  OF  YOUTH  93 

As  he  reached  the  corner  where  he  turned,  he 
glanced  back.  The  taxi  had  not  moved.  Its  occu 
pants  were  again  getting  out — an  officer  and  a  girl. 
The  girl  was  ringing  the  bell  of  the  house  that  he 
had  left,  while  the  officer  was  settling  with  the  driver. 
As  he  joined  her,  the  door  opened,  letting  fall  a 
shaft  of  light.  There  was  a  brief  parley — evidently 
hurried  explanations.  Even  at  that  distance  he 
could  recognize  the  indignant  tones  of  Sir  Tobias* 
angry  voice.  Then  he  heard  the  "Shish,  Daddy!" 
from  Terry.  They  entered.  The  door  closed  be 
hind  them.  The  taxi  moved  off  in  the  opposite  di 
rection.  Again  there  was  silence — nothing  but  the 
fragrance  of  unseen  flowers  and  the  wistfulnew  of 
the  cool,  spring  night. 


CHAPTER  THE  THIRD 

ALL    SORTS    OF    KINGDOMS 


TABS  had  dressed  himself  with  more  than  ordi 
nary  care.  He  was  rather  amused  at  his  self- 
consciousness  in  having  done  so,  and  a  little  disdain 
ful  of  it.  Yet  he  knew  that  in  the  winning  of  a 
woman  the  strategy  of  clothes  has  its  value ;  he  had 
no  intention  of  losing  a  trick  by  negligence,  It  was 
nine  o'clock  when  he  sat  down  to  breakfast;  within 
two  hours  he  would  be  seeing  Terry. 

It  was  a  gay  morning,  lacquered  with  sunshine; 
bustling  breezes  made  young  leaves  of  trees  in  the 
little  Square  murmurous.  Ever  since  he  had  wak 
ened  he  had  been  listening  to  the  gossiping  chirp  of 
congregated  sparrows  and  the  rolling  boom  of  tu 
multuous  traffic.  At  intervals  across  the  upland  of 
roofs  there  had  drifted  to  him  the  far-blown  chime 
of  bells  and  the  slower  music  of  clocks  striking.  It 
was  like  an  orchestra  scraping  its  chairs  and  tuning 
up  before  crashing  into  the  overture  of  the  happier 
world. 

Lying  beside  his  plate  as  he  came  down  he  saw 
a  single  letter.  It  was  addressed  to  him  in  an  un 
familiar  feminine  hand.  He  picked  it  up  and  ex- 

94 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  96 

amined  it  carefully  with  the  air  of  a  connoisseur. 
So  long  as  a  letter  remains  unopened,  especially 
when  it  is  to  a  bachelor  from  an  unknown  woman,  it 
retains  an  atmosphere  of  adventure.  Up  to  a  point 
he  resented  the  intrusion.  This  morning1  his 
thoughts  should  have  been  so  utterly  Terry's.  And 
yet  he  was  piqued  by  it. 

He  slit  the  envelope.  The  letter-head  was  em 
bossed  with  a  crest  quite  unknown  to  any  but  the 
most  modern  heraldry.  He  read: — 

Dear  Lord  Taborley: 

I  have  been  given  to  understand  that  you  are  exceed 
ingly  anxious  to  make  my  acquaintance.     If  this  w  so, 
I  shall  be  at  home  when  you  call  to-morrow  afternoon. 
Asking  your  lenience  for  this  liberty,  I  remain, 
Yours  very  truly, 

Maisie  P.  Lockwood. 

"To-morrow  afternoon!  Written  yesterday! 
That  means  the  afternoon  of  to-day. — And  why  the 
P — Maisie  P.  Lockwood?  Is  that  for  Pollock,  her 
first  husband  ? — Unusual !  A  rather  naive  person !" 
Then  his  face  went  blank.  "She  must  be  a  thought- 
reader!  How  the  dickens  did  she  guess  that  I 
wanted  to  make  her  acquaintance?  I  scarcely  knew 
it  myself  at  the  time  that  she  wrote  this  letter." 

Crushing  the  scented  sheet  in  his  hand,  he  tossed 
it  into  the  empty  grate.  "My  dear  lady,  if  you  can 
read  minds  so  accurately  at  a  distance,  be  assured 
of  this:  to-day  I  shall  be  too  busy  with  Terry  to 
have  any  time  to  spare  on  you." 

The  door  from  the  narrow  hall  partly  opened. 
"May  I  come  in?" 


96   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

At  sound  of  her  voice,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  up 
setting  his  chair.  She  made  bold  to  look  in  at  him. 
"Why,  Tabs,  you  are  a  late  breakfaster.  Daddy 
told  me  you  were  planning  to  see  me  at  eleven;  to 
save  you  the  trouble,  I  hurried  round." 

Like  a  flurry  of  March  sunshine,  Terry  entered. 

II 

He  scarcely  knew  how  to  greet  her.  How  does 
one  greet  a  girl  whose  permission  he  has  yet  to  gain, 
whereas  her  father  has  already  consented?  More 
over,  there  was  his  last  memory  of  her,  at  midnight 
dodging  into  the  taxi  to  avoid  him. 

She  spared  him  the  trouble  of  deciding  by  hold 
ing  out  her  hand.  "I  know  that  you  saw  me.  That's 
what  I've  come  to  talk  about." 

Her  smile  as  she  said  it  was  both  embarrassed 
and  frank.  She  looked  like  an  honest  youngster 
who  had  come  voluntarily  to  confess  and,  if  need 
be,  to  be  spanked.  Tabs  noticed  that  her  lower  lip 
was  tremulous  and  that  she  was  whipping  up  her 
courage.  His  mind  went  back  to  days  when  she  had 
really  been  a  child  and  he  a  man — when  he  had 
bound  up  cut  fingers  for  her,  had  taken  her  on  fish 
ing  expeditions,  had  taught  her  to  cast  her  first 
fly  and,  as  a  reward,  before  the  nursery  lights  went 
out,  had  been  allowed  to  see  her  snuggled  safe  in 
bed.  Little  Terry,  she  had  been  his  tiny  sister  in 
those  days  whom  he  had  loved  with  no  thought  of 
gain — just  a  small  companion  for  whom  he  bought 
exciting  presents  wherever  he  voyaged  across  the 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  97 

world — a  doll's  house  in  China,  a  quirt  in  Mexico, 
a  scarlet  riding-saddle  in  Persia.  It  hurt  him  to 
see  her  afraid  of  him  now — afraid  of  him  because 
he  was  about  to  offer  her  the  greatest  of  all  presents. 
Was  she  afraid  because  he  was  too  old  for  her? 

"You  don't  need  to  talk  about  it  unless  you  like," 
he  said  kindly.  ''Whatever  you  do  or  have  done  is 
right." 

"That's  not  true."  She  wrung  her  hands.  "Oh, 
Tabs,  you  make  it  so  hard  for  me  when  you're  gen 
erous.  I  haven't  done  right.  I'm  in  a.  tangle.  I 
don't  know  whether  what  I'll  do  in  the  future  will 
be  any  better." 

They  were  still  standing  just  as  they  had  con 
fronted  each  other  when  she  had  entered.  Tabs 
glanced  round  the  room  at  the  used  breakfast-table, 
Maisie's  crumpled  petition  lying  in  the  grate,  the 
flood  of  sunlight  and  the  tops  of  the  heads  of  pass 
ers-by  stealing  across  the  pane  above  the  stiff  row 
of  tulips.  His  eyes  went  back  to  the  flower-face  of 
this  young  girl  as  she  stood  before  him,  fashionably 
attired  and  battling  to  conceal  the  storm  of  her 
distress.  The  setting  struck  him  as  inadequate  and 
unprivate.  The  hats  which  stole  by  above  the  row 
of  tulips  seemed  to  belong  to  spies.  At  any  moment 
Ann  might  tap  and  request  that  she  be  allowed  to 
clear  the  table.  He  believed  that  in  the  next  half- 
hour  his  dream  of  the  last  five  years  was  to  be  shat 
tered  ;  otherwise,  if  it  had  not  been  to  spare  him,  why 
should  Terry  hare  paid  him  so  unconventional  a 
visit,  at  such  an  unconventional  hour,  when  by  erery 


98   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

law  of  usage  she  should  have  been  waiting  for  him 
to  call  on  her? 

"How  about  upstairs?"  he  suggested.  "In  my 
study  we  shall  be  sure  to  be  undisturbed." 

"No,  Tabs,  dear,"  and  the  little  added  word 
touched  him  strangely,  "I've  got  to  say  at  once  what 
has  to  be  said.  It's  like  waiting  at  the  dentist's — 
it's  the  waiting  that's  so  wearing."  Her  face  lit  up 
with  the  ghost  of  a  smile.  "When  you've  faced  the 
real  pain,  it's  over  in  a  second." 

She  seated  herself.  Reluctantly  he  followed  her 
example.  But  when  she  was  seated,  she  found  her 
self  at  a  loss  for  words.  She  drew  off  her  gloves, 
and  sat  there  folding  and  refolding  them.  He 
waited  for  her  to  commence;  the  silence  was  un 
broken,  save  for  the  laughter  of  children  playing 
in  the  Square  and  the  occasional  tapping  of  foot 
steps  on  the  pavement.  He  leant  across  the  table 
and  took  her  hand.  "Terry,  after  all  these  years 
you're  not  afraid  of  me?  You  don't  need  to  be. 
Remember  what  you've  just  said:  it's  the  waiting 
that's  so  wearing;  the  real  pain's  over  in  a  second. 
Get  the  real  pain  over;  then  we'll  plan  for  the  best." 

She  looked  up  gratefully  with  eyes  that  were  al 
most  clear  of  trouble.  "You're  gentle — so  differ 
ent  from  other  men.  I  could  almost  love  you;  I  do 
love  you.  But  not  quite  in  the  way You  under 
stand.  I  trust  you  more  than  any  one  in  the 
world.'* 

"Then  why ?" 

"Ah,  why?"  she  echoed.  "That's  what  I  wish  you 
could  tell  me.  Why  should  I  be  able  to  offer  more 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  99 

to — to  some  one  else  whom  I  trust  less?  So  much 
less !" 

"But  is  that  love,  Terry?  Isn't  it  infatuation? 
Could  you  keep  on  offering?  Loving  means  marry 
ing  and  marrying  means  being  together  without 
respite." 

"I  know,"  she  nodded  wisely.  "I  know  all  that. 
I  know  it  so  well  that  I  don't  want  to  marry  him  or 
anybody — at  least,  not  yet." 

"Then  why ?" 

She  took  his  other  hand  in  hers,  clinging  to  it  as 
if  she  were  drowning.  "That's  the  second  time 
you've  asked  me  why.  I'll  tell  you.  Because  if  I 
don't  say  'Yes,'  I  shall  lose  him.  Even  though  I 
may  not  want  him  forever,  I  can't  bear  to  lose  him 
for  now.  You  must  know  the  feeling — you  who  are 
in  love.  And  that's  why,"  her  voice  choked  with  the 
tears  that  she  kept  back  from  her  eyes,  "that's  why 
I  promised  him  last  night." 

"Last  night!"  Tabs  spoke  slowly,  trying  to 
bring  the  finality  home  to  himself. 

"Last  night,"  she  repeated;  "the  night  that 
should  have  been  yours.  The  night  I  had  promised 
to  you  for  years."  Then,  in  a  flame  of  self-derision, 
"Why  don't  you  let  go  my  hands  and  hate  me,  now 
that  you  know  how  treacherous  I  am?" 

"You're  not  treacherous."  He  smoothed  the  slim 
fingers  as  though  he  were  coaxing  a  child.  "You 
mustn't  be  unjust  to  yourself.  When  we're  in  love 
we're  all  apt  to  be  unjust;  I  was  yesterday,  to  this 
man.  Injustice,  whether  to  oneself  or  to  some  one 
else,  works  most  of  our  mischief;  one  never  knows 


100     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

where  it  ends.  We  can't  control  our  hearts,  Terry ; 
you've  tried.  YouVe  tried  to  make  your  heart  love 
me  and  it's  refused.  Don't  be  miserable  because  of  it ; 
you  couldn't  help  that.  And  this  man — he's  a  fine  fel 
low.  I  always  knew  he  was  a  fine  fellow,  until  seeing 
him  with  you  yesterday  made  me  jealous  and  blinded 
my  eyes.  He's  a  finer  fellow  than  ever  now.  You 
couldn't  love  him  if  he  weren't.** 

She  wasn't  giving  him  the  enthusiastic  attention 
that  his  praise  deserved*  Somewhere  at  the  back 
of  her  mind  there  lay  a  doubt  with  which  she  wres 
tled  while  he  strove  to  comfort  her.  He  believed 
that  he  had  guessed  her  doubt.  "As  for  not  trust 
ing  him  the  way  you  trust  me,"  he  explained,  "that's 
natural.  We  know  the  whole  of  each  other's  lives; 
our  families  are  the  same  kind  of  families  and  we 
share  the  same  kind  of  friends.  Whereas " 

"Whereas,"  she  broke  in,  "I  know  nothing  about 
his  past,  where  he  lived,  who  his  people  were  or  any 
thing.  I  know  nothing  that  he  enjoyed  or  laughed 
at  before  I  saw  him  lying  quietly  in  our  hospital- 
ward  in  France.  I've  questioned  him  as  much  as  I 
dared;  but  always  he  grows  vague.  There's  some 
thing  that  he's  hiding  from  me.  I  only  gathered 
that  he  had  known  you  from  the  way  he  pricked  up 
and  listened  whenever  your  name  was  mentioned. 

That  was  why,  without  warning  either  of  you,  I 

You  see,  I  had  to  find  out.  And  then,  when  he  met 
you  face  to  face  he — he  lied." 

"Hush,  Terry." 

"But  he  did.     He  lied." 

She  had  withdrawn  her  hands  from  his  and  sat 


101 

back  eyeing  him  with  a  clear  look  of  challenge. 
Tabs  was  at  a  loss  to  explain  her  change  of  attitude. 
Yesterday  she  had  been  all  for  defending  this  man. 
What  did  she  gain  by  accusing  him  now  that  she 
was  engaged  to  him?  In  any  case  she  had  employed 
too  ugly  a  word.  And  here  was  a  strange  state  of 
affairs,  that  it  should  be  left  to  him  to  defend  his 
successful  rival. 

"A  man  is  not  compelled  to  know  another  man 
unless  he  likes,"  he  said  cautiously.  "They  may 
have  met  some  time  in  the  past  under  unfortunate 
circumstances — circumstances  which  are  embarrass 
ing  to  remember.  The  man  to  whom  that  memory  is 
a  disadvantage  has  a  right  to  protect  himself  by 
sweeping  it  clean  from  his  mind." 

"But  not  to  lie  about  it  to  the  girl  he  says  he 
loves,"  she  declared.  "There  can  be  only  one  mo 
tive  for  such  a  denial:  that  it  covers  up  something 
which  is  dishonorable." 

"But  there  never  was  anything  dishonorable. 
That  I  swear." 

"Then  he  believes  that  I  would  think  it  dishonor 
able,"  she  insisted;  "which  means  that  he  doesn't 
trust  me.  That's  the  reason  I  can't  trust  him  in 
return.  If  we  don't  trust  each  other  now,  how  can 
we  hope  that  things  would  be  better  if  we  mar 
ried?" 

Her  logic  was  unanswerable,  but  she  was  arguing 
on  the  wrong  side.  At  what  was  she  driving?  He 
gave  it  up.  Was  she  wanting  him  to  tell  her  where 
and  when  he  and  her  future  husband  had  met  ?  The 
eagerness  of  her  silence  seemed  to  demand  as  much. 


102      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

But  there  are  rules  to  every  game.  No  pressure  that 
she  could  bring  to  bear  could  make  him  tell  her 
that.  She  recognized  those  rules  by  refraining  from 
putting  her  request  into  words. 

It  was  he  who  broke  the  silence.  His  tones  were 
puzzled.  "You  come  to  me  on  the  morning  that  I 
had  hoped  to  be  engaged  to  you  myself  and  you  con 
fide  all  these  secrets  about  this  other  man.  You  in 
sist  that  neither  of  you  trusts  the  other  and  that 
you  could  find  no  happiness  in  marriage.  Then  why, 
in  heaven's  name,  Terry,  did  you  pledge  yourself 
to  him  last  night?" 

"The  fear  of  losing  him "  Her  face  quiv 
ered  pitifully.  She  was  on  the  verge  of  weeping. 
"He  overheard  what  Daddy  said  about  forbidding 
him  the  house.  It  seemed  our  last  time  together.  I 
couldn't  bear  that  it  should  be  the  last.  It  was  to 

keep  him  near  me  for  just  a  little  longer  that 
j » 

Tabs  rose  and  limped  to  the  window.  He  dared 
not  let  himself  go,  the  way  his  instincts  urged. 
They  might  carry  him  too  far.  She  looked  so  much 
like  the  little  girl  in  short  skirts  he  had  known,  as 
she  sat  there  bravely  trying  not  to  cry.  He  wanted 
to  take  her  on  his  knees,  as  in  the  old  days.  Now 
that  she  loved  another  man,  he  was  not  allowed  to 
show  her  comfort  in  that  way  any  longer.  That 
she  should  run  to  him  for  help  and  yet  love  some  one 
else,  wounded  his  pride.  What  was  the  matter  with 
him  that  he  had  failed  to  stir  her  passion?  Why 
could  he  appeal  only  to  her  helplessness? 

Inside  the  communal  garden,  with  its  surround- 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  103 

ing  railings  and  locked  gates,  nurses  in  uniforms 
were  pushing  prams.  Toddlers  were  tossing  a  ball 
across  the  lawn  and  tottering  after  it  with  excited 
shouts.  Beneath  a  tree  in  the  clear  sunshine  a  young 
mother  sat  sewing.  Other  men's  women !  Other 
men's  babies !  He  would  have  to  set  out  in  search  of 
his  kingdom  afresh ;  all  his  old  quests  had  been  mis 
taken.  But  he  was  older  now  and  lame;  he  lacked 
the  energy  for  a  new  journey.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  he  would  be  alone  and  unwanted  always. 

A  telegraph-girl  was  mounting  the  steps.  He 
heard  the  bell  ring  without  interest.  Gazing  out, 
with  his  back  towards  Terry,  he  put  to  her  what  he 
intended  should  be  his  final  question.  "You  prom 
ised  him  last  night— then  why  did  you  hurry  round 
to  me  this  morning?" 

Her  dress  rustled  and  her  breathing  quickened. 
"Because —  '*  she  commenced  and  failed.  He  did 
not  turn  his  head.  She  tried  again  in  a  lower  voice, 
"Because  I  want  you  to  get  my  promise  back." 

He  swung  round  and  crossed  to  where  she  was  still 
sitting.  With  his  hands  resting  lightly  on  her  shoul 
ders,  he  stared  down  at  her  golden  head.  "But, 
Terry  dear,  why?  Look  at  me.  You  must  tell  me." 

She  did  not  look  at  him.  "I'm  frightened.  No- 

bodys  knows  as  yet ;  so  before  they  know Oh, 

Tabs,  you're  so  clever;  you  can  do  anything."  And 
then  she  repeated  whimperingly,  like  a  child  over  a 
broken  toy,  "I  want  you  to  get  my  promise  back." 

"Listen  to  me,  Terry  dearest,"  he  spoke  coaxingly, 
"don't  be  a  baby.  What  is  it  that  you're  asking 
me  to  do?  Is  it  to  see  him  for  you  and  to  break  the 


104     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

news  that  youVe  altered  your  mind  over  night.  You 
know  he'll  want  reasons.  What  shall  I  tell ?" 

She  lifted  her  head,  stretching  back  her  throat 
so  that  all  her  face  looked  up  at  him.  "If  you'll 

still  have  me His  hands  on  her  shoulders 

tightened.  "Say  that  you  still  want  me,  Tabs." 
For  answer  his  head  slowly  nodded,  but  his  eyes 
never  left  her  eyes.  "Tell  him  that  Fm  engaged  to 
you,  instead." 

In  the  tumult  of  surprised  desire  he  bent  over 
her,  but  he  got  no  further,  for  a  tap  fell  on  the 
panel  of  the  door  and  the  handle  turned.  He  drew 
himself  upright  quickly  and  stepped  back  aloofly. 
"What  is  it?" 

"A  telegram,  your  Lordship."  Ann  entered.  "I 
told  the  girl  to  wait  in  case  there  was  an  answer." 

He  tore  it  open,  glanced  through  it  and  handed 
it  to  Terry.  To  Ann  he  said,  "There  won't  be  any 
answer." 

Terry  read,  "SluM  be  delighted  to  h-ave  you  lunch 
with  me  to-day  Savoy  Hotel  one  o'clock.  Braith- 
waite"  She  examined  the  address  and  looked  up 
startled,  "But  it's  to  you.  It's — it's  as  though  he 
knew  we  were  together.  What  made  him  send  it?" 

When  Tabs  answered  there  was  no  echo  of  her 
excitement  in  his  voice.  "I  wrote  him  yesterday 
asking  him  to  call  here.  Evidently  he  preferred  a 
more  public  place." 

She  glanced  at  him  shrewdly.  "Why  did  you 
write  him?  You  must  have  done  that  between  leav 
ing  me  and  coming  to  our  house  to  dine.  I  know 
it's  no  good  my  asking  you."  Her  last  words  were 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  105 

more  of  a  question  than  an  assertion.  "I  can  see 
that  it's  no  good  my  asking  you." 

"No,  Terry,  it's  no  good.  Braithwaite's  past  is 
his  own  secret.  But  I  can  pledge  you  my  word  that 
it  bears  no  stain." 

"Then  why  shouldn't  he ?"  She  changed  her 

question.  "Shall  you  meet  him  to-day  at  lunch?" 

"Yes." 

"Shall  you  tell  him  what  we've ?" 

"Not  aU  of  it,  Terry." 

"Why  not  all  of  it?  Which  part  are  you  going 
to  leave  out?" 

He  came  again  to  where  she  sat  and  stood  gaz 
ing  down  on  her.  "Terry,  why  do  you  want  me  to 
tell  him?  Why  can't  you  tell  him  yourself?  It 
would  be  kinder." 

"Because —  Oh,  Tabs,  you  do  want  me,  don't 
you?  Because  I  daren't  trust  myself  to  see  him." 

"And  so  you  want  me  to  tell  him  we're  engaged 
because  you  daren't  trust  yourself  to  tell  him !  Isn't 
that  it?" 

She  nodded. 

"And  you  daren't  trust  yourself  to  tell  him  be 
cause  the  moment  you  saw  him  you  would  fall  again 
under  his  spell?" 

This  time  she  didn't  nod,  but  her  eyes  gave  as 
sent. 

"And  what  does  that  mean,  little  Terry? 
Whether  you  call  it  love  or  fascination,  it  means 
that  even  though  you  do  not  see  him,  your  heart  is 
his  at  present.  It  means  that  against  your  will  he's 
infinitely  more  to  you  than  I  am.  It  means  that  you 


106      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

only  ask  me  to  become  engaged  to  you  in  order  that 
you  may  be  strong  to  break  his  spell.  It  doesn't 
mean  that  I  will  be  anything  more  to  you  to-morrow 
than  I  was  last  night,  when  you  gave  him  your 
pledge." 

She  tried  to  speak,  but  he  halted  her  words.  "I'm 
older  than  you  are.  Have  you  thought  of  that? 
I'm  not  the  man  I  was;  I'm  lame.  You  can  like  me 
as  a  friend  and  believe  me  indispensable;  but,  if  I 
were  your  husband,  fifteen  years  from  now  when 
you're  only  the  age  I  am  to-day—  Have  you 

considered  that?  My  dear,  I  love  you  so  well,  that 
I'll  never  let  you  tie  yourself  to  me,  till  you're  as 
certain  that  you  can't  risk  meeting  me  without  lov 
ing  me  as  you're  certain  at  this  moment  that  you 
daren't  risk  meeting  this  other  man.  When  you 
can  do  that : 

The  tenderness  in  his  eyes  hurt  her.  "Directly  I 
can  do  that,  I'll  tell  you,  Tabs.  And — and  I  be 
lieve  I  could  almost  tell  you  now." 

"If  you  can  now,"  he  said,  "there's  a  test.  Will 
you  take  my  place  at  lunch  and  tell  Braithwaite?" 

She  shrank,  and  tried  to  smile,  and  shook  her 
head. 

"Then  it'll  be  I  who'll  have  to  do  it."  He  tried 
to  assume  a  cheerful  manner.  "But  I  can't  give 
him  your  reason  about  being  engaged  to  me.  If  it 
were  true,  which  it  isn't,  it  wouldn't  be  generous. 
If  I  carry  any  message,  the  only  honorable  thing 
for  me  to  do  is  to  inform  him  of  everything." 

"Of  everything?"  she  questioned. 

"Yes,  of  everything.     I  must  tell  him  where  the 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  107 

trouble  lies  and  give  him  his  chance  to  be  frank  with 
you.  Only  when  that  is  done,  shall  I  be  free  to  do 
my  utmost  to  win  you  for  myself." 

She  took  his  hands  and  drew  herself  up  to  him. 
"Do  what  you  like,  Tabs.  As  long  as  I  know  that 
I've  not  lost  you,"  her  voice  became  small  and  almost 
happy,  "I'm  content.'* 

She  was  tiptoeing  against  him.  The  next  thing  he 
knew  he  was  kissing  her  warm  red  mouth. 

HI 

She  was  gone.  He  had  watched  her  from  the  steps 
until  she  had  reached  the  end  of  the  Square  where 
the  swirl  of  passing  traffic  had  engulfed  her.  At  the 
last  moment  she  had  looked  back  and  smiled.  For 
some  minutes  after  she  had  vanished,  he  had  stood 
there  recalling  the  way  in  which  her  brave  little 
figure  had  tripped  out  of  sight  among  the  bluster 
ing  March  sunshine  and  shadows.  A  child,  he 
thought,  impulsive  and  lacking  in  perspective,  with 
a  child's  alacrity  for  drying  its  tears  and  believing 
in  a  future  happiness.  How  would  she  regard  this 
morning  years  hence  in  the  after-glow  of  experience? 
Would  she  find  nothing  in  its  calamities  but  foolish 
ness?  And  what  relation  would  he  himself  bear  to 
her  when  she  had  arrived  at  that  stoical  calm? 

He  reentered  the  house.  In  the  room  where  they 
had  been  together  the  fragrance  of  her  presence  still 
lingered.  The  chair  was  pushed  back,  just  as  she 
had  risen  from  it  to  lift  her  warm,  red  lips  to  his. 
How  smooth  they  were !  Again  like  a  child's  1 


108     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Everything  about  her  was  young  and  undeveloped. 
She  had  kissed  simply  and  gratefully,  with  none  of 
the  blundering,  sweet  surrender  with  which  a  woman 
clings  to  her  lover.  If  she  had  ever  kissed  Braith- 
waite,  she  had  not  kissed  him  like  that. 

And  then  Tabs  was  overcome  with  a  reluctant  re 
morse,  which  was  tinged  with  a  shameful  sense  of 
triumph.  She  had  offered  him  her  lips  in  gratitude ; 
they  had  kindled  in  him  the  flames  of  passion.  For 
the  moment  he  had  devoured  her  with  kisses — her 
eyes,  lips,  cheeks  and  hair. 

If  he  were  to  keep  himself  in  hand,  he  must  fill  his 
days  with  interests — new  interests.  He  must  move 
among  people  and  normalize  himself.  He  must  fight 
against  the  melancholy  of  his  obsession.  His  eyes 
chanced  to  rest  on  the  crumpled  sheet  of  scented 
note-paper  tossed  into  the  empty  grate.  Stooping, 
he  picked  it  up  and  smoothed  it  out.  This  problem 
of  Maisie  would  at  least  divert  him — besides,  he  had 
promised  to  do  what  he  could  for  Adair.  He  noted 
the  Chelsea  address  and  reread  the  contents  with 
its  sly  humility  and  hint  of  coquetry:  "I  have  been 
given  to  understand  that  you  are  exceedingly  anx 
ious  to  make  my  acquaintance.  If  this  is  so,  I  shall 
be  at  home  when  you  call  to-morrow  afternoon.'* 

She  had  been  quite  certain  that  he  would  call  when 
she  wrote  those  words.  They  had  all  the  assurance 
of  one  who  was  fully  persuaded  of  her  own  powers 
of  charm  and  beauty. 

"Again,  Maisie  P.,"  he  apostrophized  her,  "I'm 
bound  to  acknowledge  that  you  know  more  about  me 
than  I  know  about  mvself.  I  didn't  know  that  I 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  109 

wanted  to  make  your  acquaintance  at  the  time  when 
you  were  writing  this  letter.  I  was  quite  sure  that 
I  wasn't  going  to  call  upon  you  when  I  read  it.  In 
both  cases  you  were  the  better  informed,  for  I  shall 
be  with  you  as  soon  as  I've  fulfilled  my  Savoy  en 
gagement." 

An  hour  later,  as  he  was  on  his  way  out,  he  found 
Aim  waiting  for  him  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 

"I  don't  want  to  bother  your  Lordship.'* 

*' You're  not  bothering  me.     What  is  it?" 

"IVe  been  thinking  that  if  I  wrote  the  particulars 
down  myself " 

"The  particulars !     What  particulars  ?" 

"About  Braithwaite,  sir.  There  were  things  you 
wouldn't  know  or  might  leave  out.  So  I  thought 
that  if  I  stated  my  case  myself,  it  might  make 
things  more  sensible-like  to  your  Lordship's  friend 
at  the  War  Office." 

"It  might.  Are  those  the  particulars  you  have 
in  your  hand?" 

"Yes,  sir.  But  they're  kind  of  private.  I 
shouldn't  like  them  to  be  read  by  just  anybody. 

That's  why Perhaps,  if  your  Lordship  was 

seeing  your  friend — 

"As  it  happens,"  Tabs  spoke  with  a  careless  air, 
"I  shall  be  lunching  with  him  to-day.  I  can  de 
liver  your  letter  direct." 

"Your  Lordship  is  very  kind." 

"Not  in  the  least,  Ann.  And  remember,  whatever 
happens,  that  Braithwaite  was  brave  and  he'd  ex 
pect  you  to  be  brave.  If  you're  not D'you 


110      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

know  what  you'll  do?  Whether  he's  alive  or  dead, 
you'll  let  him  down.'* 

Her  head  lifted  proudly,  despite  the  tears  in  her 
eyes.  "No  fear  of  that,  sir.  I'll  never  let  my  man 
down." 

"That's  the  way  to  talk.  And  don't  worry  too 
much.  You  know  the  saying  about  night  always 
being  blackest  at  the  hour  before  the  dawn?  If 
we'd  only  all  believe  that  and  cheer  up — 

He  let  himself  out.  As  he  walked  down  the  Square 
he  tried  to  stroll  jauntily;  probably  Ann  was  watch 
ing. 

"I  could  do  worse  than  live  up  to  that  advice  my 
self,"  he  thought.  Then,  "And  so  I  will,  by  the 
Lord  Harry." 

IV 

As  he  passed  through  the  doors  into  the  Savoy, 
he  consulted  his  watch ;  he  was  five  minutes  late.  He 
halted  in  the  middle  of  the  foyer,  gazing  round. 
There  was  the  usual  collection  of  officers  on  leave 
or  out  of  hospital,  British,  Overseas,  American,  all 
of  then?  out  for  a  good  time  and  debonair.  There 
were  the  usual  rows  of  expectant  girls,  wondering 
whether  their  men  had  forgotten  the  appointment 
or  whether  the  fault  was  theirs  in  mistaking  the 
place  of  rendezvous.  Here  and  there  through  the 
crowd  worried  and  assertive  literary  individuals 
wandered,  searching  for  invariably  unpunctual  pub 
lishers.  As  though  Time  pressed  behind  them  with 
his  scythe,  hatchet-faced  journalists  from  Fleet 
Street  were  making  a  bee-line  for  the  restaurant.  In 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  111 

contrast  to  this  perfervid  haste,  self-possessed  young 
queens  of  the  footlights  lolled  with  their  admirers, 
importantly  believing  they  were  recognized.  All 
the  medley  of  London  as  it  used  to  be,  is  and  will 
be  again,  was  there;  but  nowhere  could  Tabs  descry 
a  General's  uniform. 

He  went  to  the  desk  to  enquire  whether  there  was 
any  message  for  him.  At  mention  of  the  General  his 
enquiry  was  received  with  marked  respect.  Yes, 
General  Braithwaite  lived  there.  No  message  had 
been  left,  but  he  might  be  in  his  room.  While  they 
were  telephoning  and  he  was  waiting,  Tabs  remem 
bered  and  smiled  at  remembering.  Under  quite  other 
circumstances,  on  a  former  occasion,  he  and  Braith 
waite  had  stayed  there  together.  The  clerk  inter 
rupted  his  reflections.  "The  General's  not  in  his 
room Ah,  here  he  comes,  your  Lordship." 

Tabs  turned  quickly  and  looked  in  vain  at  first. 
He  did  not  become  aware  of  his  host  till  he  was 
standing  almost  at  his  elbow.  Then  he  held  out  his 
hand,  "How  are  you,  General?  You  must  pardon 
me  for  not  having  picked  you  out  at  once.  Like 
all  of  us,  you  look  different  in  mufti." 

"More  like  the  old  Braithwaite  your  Lordship 
used  to  know?"  The  General  smiled.  "Well,  I  have 
to  thank  that  experience  for  this  at  least — that  I 
know  where  to  find  the  proper  tailors.  How  about 
lunch?  Are  you  ready?" 

Against  a  window  looking  out  on  the  Embank 
ment,  one  of  the  best  tables  had  been  reserved — a 
further  proof  of  the  new  esteem  in  which  Braith 
waite  was  held.  The  head-waiter  hurried  up  im- 


112      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

mediately  to  advise  what  he  should  eat  and  passed 
on  his  orders  to  subordinates  with  as  much  solemnity 
as  if  they  had  been  the  details  for  an  offensive. 
"Yes,  my  General.'*  "No,  my  General."  When 
everything  had  been  chosen  and  there  was  nothing  to 
do  but  wait  for  the  first  dish  to  be  served,  Braith- 
waite  leaned  across  to  Tabs,  "Your  Lordship  is 
amused.  I  don't  blame  you." 

Tabs  drew  out  his  case  and  offered  him  a  ciga 
rette.  "I'll  make  a  bargain  with  you,  sir.  Let's 
cut  out  the  unfriendly  formalities.  I'll  call  you 
Braithwaite  if  you'll  call  me  Taborley." 

The  General  blew  a  puff  of  smoke  into  the  air  and 
watched  it  disappear  before  he  answered.  In  civil 
ian  clothes  he  bore  a  more  distinct  resemblance  to 
the  man  he  had  been ;  and  yet  the  resemblance  only 
served  to  emphasize  the  change  that  had  taken  place 
in  him.  The  old  Braithwaite  had  been  a  slight-built, 
gentle  creature,  loyal  to  the  point  of  self-effacement, 
soft-spoken  and  dependent  on  the  appreciation  of  a 
master  for  his  happiness.  The  new  Braithwaite  both 
in  body  and  character  had  hardened.  His  gray 
eyes  had  concentrated  into  command.  His  clean 
shaven  cheeks  and  small  military  mustache  gave  him 
an  expression  which  was  tolerantly  ironic.  The 
moment  you  saw  him,  you  knew  beyond  question  that 
he  was  ruthlessly  aware  of  what  he  wanted  out  of 
life.  He  was  a  sword  whicTi  had  lain  hidden  in  its 
scabbard  and  was  now  withdrawn,  glistening,  intimi 
dating  and  fiercely  pointed. 

Tabs  compared  his  forceful  appearance  with  his 
own,  where  in  a  mirror  their  reflections  sat  facing 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  113 

each  other.  There  was  little  to  choose  between  them 
in  outward  gentility,  despite  the  immense  disparity 
of  their  chances.  There  was  no  fault  to  find ;  every 
thing  about  Braithwaite  bespoke  confidence  and  re 
finement — his  neatly  brushed  chestnut  hair,  his  well- 
cut  gray  tweeds,  his  black,  woven  tie  with  the  horse 
shoe  scarf-pin  of  diamonds,  his  fine  white  teeth,  his 
trim  mustache.  He  looked  a  man  of  iron  will  and 
unswerving  decision,  destined  from  birth  to  take 
control  of  crises  and  to  shoulder  responsibilities. 
As  a  last  humanizing  touch,  there  was  a  hint  of  cava 
lier  devilment  about  him,  of  the  gambler  who  was 
also  a  sportsman. 

The  puff  of  smoke  had  faded.  The  General's  eyes 
came  back  with  a  twinkle  to  his  guest.  "You're 
right.  Between  us  this  'Your  Lordship  and  General' 
business  would  grow  tiresome.  I  never  thought  the 
day  would  come  when  I'd  call  you  Taborley,  how 
ever.  As  for  myself,  plain  Braithwaite's  a  little 

reminiscent Still,  we'll  consider  that  part  of 

our  compact  settled.  And  now,  what?" 

"Do  we  need  to  hurry  matters?"  Tabs  questioned. 
"This  isn't  a  military  court  of  enquiry.  It  wasn't 
my  idea  to  meet  you  as  though  we  were  maintaining 
an  armed  neutrality.  We — 

"But  aren't  we?"  Braithwaite  interposed  with  an 
air  of  amused  good-humor.  Then  he  lowered  his 
voice,  "When  you  parted  from  me  I  was  your  valet. 
You  didn't  hear  from  me  for  the  best  part  of  four 
years  and  believed  me  dead.  You  came  back  to  find 
that  I  was  your  superior  officer  and  had  tangled 
things  up  for  you  pretty  badly.  You've  threatened 


114      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

me  with  your  knowledge  of  a  previous  love-affair 
and  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  tangle  up  my  fu 
ture  in  return.  Under  the  circumstances  what  else 
is  possible  but  an  armed  neutrality?" 

"Let  me  state  the  case  from  another  and,  I  think, 
a  juster  angle."  Tabs  paused  to  knock  the  ash 
from  his  cigarette.  "Before  the  war  you  were  my 
valet  whom  I  had  alwa3Ts  treated  as  my  friend.  I 
believe  at  that  time,  if  it  had  come  to  the  show  down, 
you  were  the  man  who  was  closest  to  my  affections 
and  whom  I  trusted  most  in  all  the  world.  I'm  try 
ing  to  speak  soberly,  Braithwaite,  without  any  color 
of  exaggeration.  We'd  been  in  many  tight  corners 
together — perhaps  the  tightest  was  when  they  tried 
to  execute  us  in  Mexico.  Anyway,  we'd  always 
played  the  game  by  each  other.  In  1914  we  both 
joined  in  the  ranks;  in  1918  you  finished  up  as  a 
General,  while  I  was  a  first  lieutenant.  There's 
only  one  way  to  account  for  that:  up  to  1914  you'd 
never  had  your  chance ;  when  your  chance  came,  you 
proved  yourself  the  better  man.  In  a  way,  though 
it's  difficult  for  me  to  confess  it,  I  can  understand 
and  sympathize  with  Terry's  preference.  Women 
admire  bravery  and  merit.  Ann  and  I  admired  them 
in  you ;  we  knew  they  were  there  before  the  war  made 
them  public." 

He  took  a  breath  while  he  watched  what  effect  the 
mention  of  Ann's  name  had  had.  The  General's  ex 
pression  from  being  interested  and  generous  had 
grown  suddenly  obstinate  and  set.  Tabs  hurried  on. 
"So  I  can  understand  Terry's  preference.  And  yet, 
as  you've  owned,  despite  your  advantages,  I  hold 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  115 

the  winning  card.  I  can  joker  all  your  aces  by 
telling — well,  the  things  to  which  you  have  referred." 
He  leant  forward  across  the  table.  "I  don't  want 
to  have  to  tell.  To  do  that  I  should  have  to  make 
myself  still  more  inferior  to  you  than  you  have 
proved  me  to  be  in  the  hardest  of  all  tests.  There's 
only  one  occasion  that  would  compel " 

"And  that?"  the  General  enquired  coldly. 

Before  Tabs  could  answer,  a  Major  in  the  Guards 
who  was  passing  had  halted.  "Hullo,  sir!"  he  ex 
claimed,  addressing  Braithwaite.  "I  was  intending 
to  hunt  you  up.  I've  heard  a  rumor*  about  your 
transferring  to  the  Regulars.  Why  don't  you  have 
a  shot  at  my  outfit?" 

Braithwaite  introduced  Lord  Taborley  perfunc 
torily,  then  returned  to  his  friend's  question.  "A 
shot  at  your  outfit !  It's  too  expensive.  I've  got  to 
make  money.  Besides,  to  become  a  Regular  I'd 
have  to  sink  my  rank  and  live  on  my  pay  at  that.  I 
can't  afford  it.  To  tell  the  truth,  I'm  already  out 
of  the  Army.  I  handed  over  the  keys  of  my  desk  at 
the  War  Office  this  morning.  That  phase  is  ended." 

"You  did !  Well,  if  you've  got  something  bet 
ter '  The  Guardsman  nodded  assent  to  a  sig 
naled  question  from  a  companion  at  another  table. 
"Don't  lose  touch  with  your  old  set,  sir,"  he  added 
cheerfully  as  he  moved  away.  "Send  us  the  map- 
location  of  your  next  dug-out." 

The  lunch  arrived.  Dishes  were  obsequiously  of 
fered  for  inspection  and  approval.  While  the  meal 
was  being  served,  there  was  no  opportunity  for  pri 
vate  conversation,,  Tabs  was  pondering  one  fact 


116     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

which  he  had  overheard.  "So,  he,  too,  was  demobbed 
yesterday !  That's  why  he  took  his  last  chance  to 

become  engaged.  The  glamour  of  a  uniform 

And  to-day  he's  back  where  he  started.  Poor  chap !" 

The  over-zealous  waiter  had  at  last  moved  out  of 
range.  Braithwaite  lifted  up  his  dagger  gaze. 
"And  what  is  that  occasion — the  one  occasion  which 
would  compel  you  to  publish  my  past?  Perhaps  I 
can  save  you  the  trouble  of  putting*  it  into  words. 
You  mean  if  I  dared  to  become  engaged  to  Terry 
Beddow?  I  am  engaged  to  her.  I  dared  last  night; 
so  I  must  leave  you  to  do  your  worst." 

He  smiled  with  quiet  triumph ;  gradually  his  smile 
faded  into  puzzlement.  "You  don't  seem  surprised." 

"I'm  not,"  said  Tabs.  "Why  should  I  be?  I  my 
self  supposed,  that  I  was  engaged  to  her  last  night." 

It  was  Braithwaite  who  showed  amazement. 
"You!  Last  night!" 

"Yes,  I,  last  night." 

Braithwaite  set  down  his  knife  and  fork.  The 
bleak  look  came  into  his  eyes  that  had  given  him 
the  nickname  at  the*  Front  of  "Steely  Jack."  He 
was  silent  for  a  full  five  seconds ;  then  he  said,  "Lord 
Taborley,  you're  a  man  of  your  word,  but  I  find  it 
difficult  to  believe'  that." 

Tabs*  voice  was  both  quiet  and  kindly  when  he 
replied,  "You'll  find  it  difficult  to  believe  a  good 
many*  things,  before  I've  ended.  Evidently  Terry 
never  told  you  that,  for  over-  four  years  she  and  I 
had  had  an  understanding1  that,  when  peace  came, 
if  I  survived,  we  would  be  married.  Last,  night,  while 
you  were  proposing  to  herf  I  was  asking  her  father's 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  117 

consent.  While  I  was  gaining  his  consent,  you  were 
being  accepted." 

The  blank  look  of  astonishment  which  had  over 
spread  the  General's  face,  quickly  gave  way  to  one 
of  generous  compassion.  "On  my  word  of  honor, 
Lord  Taborley,  I  never  knew  that.  I  thought — 
please  forgive  me — that  you  were  interfering  merely 
out  of  snobbishness.  I  ought  to  have  known  better. 

All  my  dealings  with  you  should  have I  begin 

to  understand." 

Tabs'  old  sense  of  friendship  for  the  man — his 
man — was  coming  back.  "You  begin,"  he  said,  "but 
you  don't  fully  understand.  You  and  I  have  to 
come  down  to  earth.  Not  unnaturally  up  till  now 
you've  chosen  to  treat  me  as  an  enemy.  Perhaps  I 
was  when  I  sent  you  those  two  letters  yesterday. 
But  I'm  not  now.  I,  too,  am  learning.  There  was 
a  coster  who  let  me  off  arrest.  Did  I  tell  you  about 
him?  I  forget.  The  reason  he  gave  taught  me  a 
lot,  'You  and  me  was  pals  out  there.*  And  you 
and  I  were  pals  out  there,  Braithwaite — not  master 
and  man  or  junior  and  senior  officer.  It  would  be 
a  burning  shame  if,  now  that  the  war's  ended,  we 
should  fall  to  squabbling  among  ourselves." 

"And  yet  the  fact  remains,"  said  Braithwaite, 
"that  I,  who  used  to  be  your  servant,  have  cut  you 
out  of  Terry.  How  are  we  going  to  remain  pals  in 
a  case  like  that?" 

Tabs  flinched  at  the  bluntness  of  the  words,  "cut 
you  out  of  Terry."  For  a  moment  he  felt  inclined 
to  say  right  out,  "You're  mistaken.  She's  sent  me 
to  get  her  promise  back."  Instead  he  said,  "How 


118      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

are  we  going  to  remain  pals !  That's  what  I'm  here 
to  talk  about.  I've  made  up  my  mind  how  I'm  going 
to  act.  It's  about  you  that  I'm  concenied.  I'm 
jealous  for  you,  Braithwaite.  I'm  proud  of  the  fact 
that,  whatever  you  are  to-day,  you  were  once  my 
man — my  man  in  the  old  clan  sense.  I  want  to  see 
you  carry  yourself  as  bravely  in  your  new  fight  as 
you  did  in  the  one  that's  ended.  I  think  of  the 
two  this  peace  fight  will  be  the  more  difficult  test, 
especially  for  men  like  yourself.  I  lost  caste  during 
the  war,  while  for  you  it  proved  a  social  oppor 
tunity.  Now  that  we're  back  at  peace,  the  process 
is  likely  to  be  reversed.  The  qualities  which  gave 
you  high  rank  in  a  world  at  war  won't  fetch  the 
same  market  value.  You'll  have  to  fight  afresh — 
only  this  time  it'll  be  against  the  temptation  to  sink 
below  your  own  high  standards  through  bitterness. 
In  a  General's  uniform  you  could  go  anywhere.  It 
was  your  passport.  No  one  made  enquiries.  Once 
you're  demobilized,  the  world  asks  for  other  cre 
dentials — credentials  as  to  your  profession,  bank- 
account,  friends,  birth.  What  I'm  trying  to  say  is 
this :  there's  nothing  dishonorable  in  your  past  save 
your  own  assumption  that  it  was  dishonorable.  And 
I  want  to  assure  you  that  it  isn't  my  purpose  to 
drag  you  down.  I  couldn't.  There's  only  one  man 
who  can  do  that — yourself.  But  you  can  drag 
yourself  below  anything  that  you  were  if  you  go  on 
refusing  to  play  fair." 

Braithwaite's  face  went  white  beneath  its  tan.    He 
fell  to  stroking  his  mustache.     "You  take  a  lot  upon 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  119 

yourself.  It's  the  first  time  that  I've  ever  been  ac 
cused  of  not  playing  fair." 

"But  7  accuse  you  of  it."  Tabs  spoke  with  an 
equal  quietness.  To  any  one  watching  they  would 
have  appeared,  to  be  two  handsome  men  of  the  soldier 
type  engaged  in  desultory  conversation.  "I  have  to 
accuse  you  of  it.  I  want  you  to  glance  through  this 
before  you  answer  me." 

He  drew  from  his  pocket  and  passed  across  the 
letter  which  Ann  had  given  him  that  morning — the 
letter  which,  to  quote  her  words,  "Might  make  things 
seem  more  sensible-like  to  your  Lordship's  friend  at 
the  War  Office."  It  was  unaddressed,  but  as  Braith- 
waite's  eye  fell  on  the  sprawling  handwriting  of  the 
contents,  the  deep  flush  which  crept  across  his  face 
betrayed  the  fact  that  it  was  recognized.  He  com 
menced  to  read  the  sheet  with  a  studied  carelessness ; 
as  he  proceeded,  the  carelessness  gave  way  to  a 
troubled  frown.  For  some  time  after  he  had  finished, 
he  sat  motionless.  When  he  looked  up,  his  mood  was 
contemptuous.  "So  this  is  your  price?" 

"No  price  was  mentioned." 

"But  it  was  implied.  You  tell  me  that,  at  the  time 
that  I  was  being  accepted,  you  yourself  were  hoping 
to  be  engaged  to  Miss  Beddow;  then  you  hand  me 
this  letter.  What  do  you  suppose  I  infer?  What 
would  any  man  infer?  That  your  promise  to  keep 
my  existence  a  secret  from  Ann  is  conditional  on  the 
breaking  of  my  engagement  with  Miss  Beddow." 

"Handing  you  Ann's  letter  wouldn't  do  that. 
Your  engagement  with  Miss  Beddow  is  already 
broken." 


120      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Braithwaite  jerked  his  chair  back  and  stared. 
Then  the  audacity  of  such  an  assertion  touched  his 
sense  of  humor.  He  fell  to  laughing.  "That  at  least 
is  an  invention." 

Tabs  showed  no  resentment.  There  was  something 
disturbingly  convincing  about  his  self-possession. 
"Didn't  I  tell  you,"  he  asked  patiently,  "that  you'd 
find  it  difficult  to  believe  a  good  many  things  before 
I  had  ended?  I  had  an  appointment  to  see  Miss 
Beddow  at  her  father's  house  this  morning  at  eleven. 
Before  I'd  finished  breakfast  she  was  visiting  me  in 
stead.  She  had  called  to  make  two  requests:  that  I 
would  see  you  to-day  and  get  her  promise  back,  and 
that  I'd  become  engaged  to  her  myself." 

Braithwaite  lurched  forward,  folding  his  arms  on 
the  table.  His  voice  was  thick  with  passion  when 
he  spoke.  "What  you  tell  me  sounds  mad ;  but  you'd 
gain  nothing  by  telling  it  if  it  were  not  true." 

"Nothing,"  Tabs  confirmed. 

"No,  nothing.  If  it  weren't  true,  I  could  go  to 
the  telephone  and  disprove  your  falsehood  inside  of 
ten  minutes." 

"You  could." 

"Then  it  is  true — which  means  that  you've  ousted 
me.  And  that's  why  you  can  afford  to  be  so  calm 
and  Christ-like.  I've  been  wondering  how  you'd  con 
trived  this  Galilean  display  of  charity." 

"You've  not  heard  me  out."  Tabs  still  spoke  with 
friendliness.  "While  we  were  together  your  telegram 
arrived  and  I  agreed  to  be  the  bearer  of  her  mes 
sage.  But  as  for  her  second  request,  that  I  should 
become  engaged  to  her,  I  refused  that  point-blank." 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS 

"You  what?"  The  anger  cleared  from  Braith- 
waite's  face,  leaving  the  chalky  mask  of  a  tr;-gic 
harlequin.  When  he  spoke  again  it  was  humbly. 
"You  can't  blame  me  for  not  believing  you.  You 
jump  about.  You  say  several  things  which  seem 
to  point  to  a  definite  conclusion  and  then  at,  the  last 
moment  you  change  it.  I  don't  know  whether  you 
do  it  to  amuse  yourself  at  my'expense  or  whether  it's 
merely  the  way  your  mind  works.  At  any  rate,  it's 
cruel — this  cat  and  mouse  game.  I  wish  you'd  be 
direct." 

"That's  what  I  wish  to  be.  You  could  help  me  if 
you'd  ask  questions." 

Braithwaite  sighed,  wearied  beyond  endurance. 
He  was  becoming  less  like  the  General  and  more  like 
the  old  dependent  Braithwaite  every  second.  "You 
wanted  to  marry  her  last  night,  only  to  find  she'd 
promised  herself  to  me  already.  Then  she  comes  to 
you  this  morning,  offering  herself,  and  you  refuse 
her.  That  doesn't  make  sense.  Why  did  you  re 
fuse  her?" 

"Because  if  I'd  taken  her  at  her  word,  I  shouldn't 
have  been  playing  fair." 

At  the  recurrence  of  that  phrase  "playing  fair,"  a 
momentary  annoyance  crept  into  Braithwaite's  eyes. 
"I've  always  heard,"  he  commenced,  "that  in  love 
and  war " 

"Everything's  fair,"  Tabs  ended  his  quotation. 
"Well,  in  this  case,  it  isn't.  It  was  because  she  real- 
lized,  after  she'd  promised  herself  to  you,  that  in 
love  everything  isn't  fair,  that  she  asked  me  to  get 
her  promise  back." 


122      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"You  mean  as  regards  yourself?  She'd  begun  to 
feel  that  she  wasn't  treating  you  handsomely?" 

"I  don't  mean  as  regards  myself.  You  were  the 
cause  of  her  change  of  mind." 

"I!"  Braithwaite's  bewilderment  made  him  hos 
tile.  "How  could  I  have  caused  her  to  change  her 
mind?  I  parted  with  her  after  midnight;  it  must 
have  been  shortly  after  nine  that  she  was  seeing 
you.  I  held  no-  communication  with  her  in  any  shape 
or  form  during  the  eight  or  nine  hours  that  elapsed." 

"Nevertheless,  you  were  the  cause.  She  realized 
in  the  meanwhile  that  in  love  everything  isn't  fair. 
It  isn't  fair  to  ignore  .a  young*  girl's  happiness  in 
order  to  win  her  hand.  You  had  done  that ;  though 
she  has  no  proofs,  instinctively  she  feels  it." 

Braithwaite  shook  his  head  and  thrust  himself 
back  with  the  gesture  of  a  man  whose  patience  is 
completely  at  an  end.  "I  haven't  the  vaguest  idea 
what  you're  hinting  at." 

"Then  I'll  be  brutally  explicit.  You've* at  no  time 
told  her  who  you  were  or  where  you  came«  from  be 
fore  you  made  a  name  for  yourself.  You've*  evaded 
all  her  questions.  You  told,  a  palpable*  falsehood  in 
he-r  presence  when  you  insisted  that  you  had  never 
known  me.  You're  perfectly  aware  that,  if  you  ap 
proached  her  father,  all  the  facts  about  your  past, 
which  you're  suppressing,  would  most  certainly  come 
out.  Your  courting  has  been  clandestine,  behind  the 
back  of  her  family.  It  seems  perfectly  obvious  that 
you're  trying  to  lure  her  into  a  runaway  match.  She 
has  grounds  for  believing  that  you  do  not  trust  her 
and,  because  of  that,  although  you  fascinate  her, 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  123 

she  finds  it  impossible  to  trust  you  in  return.  She 
trusts  you  so  little  that  she  did  not  dare  to  risk 
facing  you  and  sent  me  in  her  stead.  She's  so  sure 
that  a  marriage  with  you  w»uld  be  unfortunate  that, 
in  order  to  save  herself  from  it,  she's  willing  to  be 
come  engaged  to  me,  whom  she  loves  only  as  a  friend. 
You'll  wonder  why  I  tell  you  all  this.  It's  because 
I  want  her  to  be  happy.  If  you  really  are  the  man 
for  her,  she  must  have  you.  But  you'll  never  have 
the  remotest  chance  of  winning  her*  unless  you  make 
a  clean  breast " 

"If  I  did  my  chances  would  be  at  an*  end." 

"If  you  believe  that,""  Tabs  sought  for  the  most 
lenient  words,  "you  know  what  you're  doing.  You'd 
despise  to  cheat  at  cards,  but  you  don't-  mind  cheat 
ing  the  woman  whom,  you  profess  to*  love- best. — And 
then  there's  Ann."- 

"I'd  rather  not  discuss  Ann."  The  abrupt  pain 
in  Braithwaite's  tone  betrayed  the  grumbling  ache 
of  an  old  wound.  "I  think  even  you  will  grant  that 
there  are  some  things  in  a  man's  heart  which  are  pri 
vately  sacred.  Ann  lies  entirely  outside  the  bounds 
of  all  justifiable  interference  on  your  part." 

It  took  an  effort  for  Tabs  to  bring  himself  to 
break  down  the  barrier  of  reticence  which  this  depth 
of  feeling  had  imposed.  "I'm  sorry,  General,  but  I 
can't  agree  with  you."  He  waited  for  the  expected 
protest.  When  it  did  not  come,  he  carried  on  re 
luctantly,  "I  have  a  high  regard  for  Ann.  She's 
one  of  my  household  and  that  makes  me  responsible 
for  her  to  an  extent.  I  can't  allow  her  to  be  tortured 
any  longer  with  suspense — she's  had  more  than  three 


KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

years  of  this  horrid  nightmare,  hovering  between 
hope  and  dread.  Every  day  of  the  three  years  has 
been  unnecessary.  Whether  you  break  or  keep  your 
promise  to  her  is  your  concern.  Whether  she  takes 
action  against  you  when  she  knows  the  truth,  is  hers. 
But  she  has  the  right  to  know.  To  see  that  she 
knows  comes  within  the  bounds  of  any  decent  man's 
justifiable  interference.  One  of  us  must  tell  her; 
the  news  would  come  with  less  grace  from  myself. 
But*  for  you  to  wriggle  out  of  your  dilemma  with  si 
lence,  while  she  goes  on  breaking  her  heart,  is  cow 
ardly — just  as  cowardly  as  if  you'd  deserted  in  the 
face  of  the  enemy.  I've  no  doubt  you've  sentenced 
more  than  one  poor  wretch  to  be  shot  at  sunrise  for 
doing  that." 

Tabs  pulled  out  his  watch.  He  had  said  every 
thing.  So  far  as  he  was  concerned  the  conversation 
was  at  an  end.  It  was  nearly  three  o'clock.  Time 
had  traveled  quickly.  He  was  surprised  at  the  late 
ness  of  the  hour.  Now  that  his  intentness  was  re 
laxed,  he  let  his  gaze  wander.  The  room  was  nearly 
empty.  Most  of  the  gay  little  ladies  who  had  chat 
tered  across  the  tables  to  their  recently  recovered 
lovers  or  husbands,  had  tripped  away  to  continue 
their  spree  of  celebration  at  a  matinee  or  in  an  orgy, 
of  shopping.  Those  who  were  left  were  putting  on 
their* wraps  or  sipping  the  last  of  their  coffee  under 
the  reproachful  eyes  of  waiters.  Across  the  window 
in  a  brown-gray  streak  flowed  the  wind-flecked  high 
way  of  the  Thames. 

Braithwaite  beckoned  for  his  bill.  After  the  hu 
miliation  of  what  had  been  said  it  irked  Tabs  to 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  125 

have  to  see  him  pay  it.  The  trend  of  the  conversa 
tion  had  helped  to  strip  him  of  the  arrogance  of  his 
military  honors.  The  mercenary  subserviency  of  the 
man  who  handed  him  his  account,  seemed  to  arouse 
him  to  the  landslide  that  had  taken  place  in  his  self- 
esteem.  He  made  a  conscious  effort  to  pull  himself 
together.  While  he  waited  for  his  change,  he  broke 
the  silence. 

"I  believe  you  meant  well  by  coming  here.  It 
would  be  foolish  for  me  to  pretend  that  I  m  alto 
gether  grateful — grateful  for  your  way  of  express 
ing  most  of  the  things  that  we've  discussed  together. 
At  the  same  time,  Lord  Taborley,  I  owe  you  an 
apology  if  at  any  point  I've  misjudged  your  in 
tentions.  As  regards  Ann,  you  err  in  justice  when 
you  hold  me  accountable  for  all  the  causes  of  her 
tragedy.  Both  she  and  I,  and  Miss  Beddow  for  the 
matter  of  that,  are  the  victims  of  circumstances. 
It's  scarcely  my  fault  that  I've  outgrown  Ann ;  I'm 
no  more  to  blame  for  that  than  Terry  is  for  having 
fallen  in  love  with  a  man  who  was  your  servant.  / 
didn't  make  the  war.  I  didn't  promote  myself  from 
a  valet  to  a  General.  I  didn't  even  consciously  allure 
Terry.  She  fascinates  me  as  much  as  I  fascinate  her: 
I  fought  against  her  fascination  at  first. — But  to  get 
back  to  Ann,  I  let  her  slip  out  of  my  life  because  I 
wanted  to  spare  her.  I  thought  it  would  be  easier 
for  her  to  believe  me  dead  than  to  be  told  that  she 
was — was  discarded.  I  couldn't  be  expected  to  fore 
see  that  she  would  display  this  awkward  loyalty  of 
hoping.  I  didn't  know  what  had  happened  to  her. 
She's  a  good-looking  girl ;  I'd  pictured  her  as  mar- 


126  KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ried  to  a  man  of  her  own  class,  until  you  flung  this 
bombshell  at  me.  I'm  not  callous.  Don't  misappre 
hend  me.  I  can  still  think  of  her  with  tenderness. 

But  as  for  ever  treating  her  again  as  my  equal 

It  would  be  as  impossible  for  me  to  resume  the  old 
relations  with  her  as  it  would  be  for  your  Lordship 
to  commence  them."  He  waited  for  some  word  of 
criticism  or  encouragement.  When  Tabs  only 
nodded  non-committally,  he  proceeded  more  slowly. 
"I  don't  know  what  I'm  going  to  do.  I'm  fully  aware, 
now  that  the  war  is  ended,  that  as  a  has-been  General 
who  rose  from  the  ranks,  I  have  no  marketable  value. 
I  have  no  specialized  training  to  offer  to  a  commer 
cial  world  which  calls  for  experts.  The  only  knowl 
edge  that  I  have  to  sell  is  the  old  knowledge  that  you 
used  to  purchase.  My  house  of  cards  has  collapsed. 
To  be  unwisely  frank,  my  financial  resources  are 
limited  to  little  more  than  my  war-gratuity." 

"And  yet  you're  anxious  to  marry  Terry?"  Tabs 
suggested;  "to  marry  her  without  letting  her  know 
about  any  of  these  handicaps  of  which  she  would  have 
to  share  the  penalty." 

Braithwaite's  head  went  up  with  a  soldierly  jerk. 
The  bleak  look  came  into  his  eyes.  He  was  "Steely 
Jack"  at  that  moment.  "I  have  the  confidence  to  be 
lieve,"  he  said  proudly,  "that  I  shall  go  as  far  in 
peace  as  I  did  in  war.  Never  to  own  that  you're 
beaten,  never  to  squeal  when  you're  hurt,  never  to 
retreat  from  a  position  when  once  it  has  been  cap 
tured  must  count  back  here  for  as  much  as  it  did 
out  there.  In  France  I  had  the  reputation  for  never 
/losing  an  inch  of  trench.  I  don't  intend  to  lose  an 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  127 

inch  of  trench  now.  My  back  is  to  the  wall.  For  the 
present  I  can't  afford  to  do  anything  gratuitously 
charitable;  by  the  smallest  waste  of  energy  I  may 
defeat  myself.  To  hold  any  correspondence  with  Ann 
at  this  moment  might  mean  the  slamming  in  my  own 
face  of  every  door  of  opportunity.  I'll  do  my 
stretcher-bearing  when  I've  won;  not  a  second  be 
fore." 

Against  his  will,  while  he  listened,  the  unscrupu 
lous  valor  of  the  man  stirred  Tabs  to  admiration. 
Only  the  after-event  could  prove  whether  this  verbal 
display  of  fireworks  was  only  bombast.  "And  so 
that's  your  ultimatum?"  he  asked  with  disquieting 
sanity. 

"Yes,  if  that's  what  you  call  it." 

The  waiter  had  returned  with  the  receipted  bill. 
Braithwaite  was  picking  up  the  change.  Not  look 
ing  at  Tabs  he  said,  "A  few  minutes  ago  you  were 
consulting  your  watch.  I  believe  you  have  an  en 
gagement." 

"I  have.  But  if  we  can  arrive  at  any  more  definite 
conclusion  by  talking  longer,  I'll  skip  it.  It's  of  no 
importance." 

Braithwaite  glanced  up.  "Not  to  you,  perhaps ; 
but  it  may  be  to  her." 

With  that  he  commenced  to  lead  the  way  out, 
choosing  a  winding  path  through  the  maze  of  tables. 
Not  until  they  were  traversing  the  great  gold  and 
crimson  lounge,  with  its  ornate  furnishings,  did  Tabs 
catch  up  with  him  to  ask  his  question.  "How  did 
you  know  about  my  engagement  and  whether  it  was 
important  or  not?" 


128      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Braithwaite  answered  carelessly,  "It's  with  Maisie, 
isn't  it?  I  heard  Terry  suggest  to  her  that  she 
should  make  it.  She's  a  nice  little  woman.  I 
shouldn't  like  to  be  the  cause  of  her  disappointment. 

She  was  looking  forward "  The  rest  was  lost  as 

a  flunkey  requested  the  registered  number  of  what 
ever  Tabs  had  left  in  the  cloak-room. 

While  they  waited  for  the  hat  and  cane  to  be  pro 
duced,  Tabs  made  a  last  attempt  to  persuade  the 
General  to  commit  himself  to  some  promised  course 
of  action.  "No  one  would  be  more  pleased  to  see 
you  succeed  than  myself.  I'm  not  trying  to  hamper 
you.  Neither  is  Terry;  but  she  insists  that  unless 
things  are  to  terminate  between  you,  she  must  know 
the  truth.  Frankness  with  Terry  necessitates  frank 
ness  with  Ann.  You'll  never  succeed,  however  great 
your  courage,  unless  you  start  with  your  honor  sol 
vent.  Ann's  beneath  you,  you  say — that's  why 
you've  outgrown  her.  It's  not  my  business  to  dispute 
the  fact.  I  didn't  want  to  introduce  the  class  view 
of  things ;  but,  by  the  same  showing,  you're  beneath 
Terry.  She's  young  to-day:  through  a  lifetime  she 
might  outgrow  you.  She's  as  much  your  social  su 
perior  as  you  claim  to  be  Ann's.  You've  discarded 
Ann  on  the  ground  of  inequality  of  rank.  In  your 
case  Terry's  family  have  a  perfect  right  to  raise  the 
same  objection." 

"Not  at  all."  The  answer  came  like  the  crack  of 
a  whip.  Braithwaite  drew  himself  up  with  the  pride 
of  one  who  had  moved  men  like  pawns  across  the 
checker-board  of  life  and  death.  "The  two  cases 
afford  no  parallel.  Ann  and  Terry  have  remained 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  129 

in  the  social  stations  to  which  they  were  born,  while 
I — I  stand  outside  all  such  ready-made,  rule  of 
thumb  classifications.  By  sheer  impetus  of  personal 
ity  I  have  lifted  myself  out  of  the  rut,  so  that  not 
even  you,  with  all  your  omniscience,  dare  prophesy 
how  far  I  am  going  or  where  I  shall  end." 

It  was  plain  that  further  talk  would  be  useless. 
"I'm  afraid  I  must  be  going,"  Tabs  said.  "I  wish 
you  very  good  luck.  I  hope  we  part  friends.  And 
of  course  you  understand  that  I  now  consider  my 
self  entirely  free  to  do  my  utmost  to  win  Terry  for 
myself." 

He  extended  his  hand.  Braithwaite  made  no  mo 
tion  to  take  it.  He  held  himself  erect  as  if  prepared 
for  an  affront.  His  tones  were  icy  when  he  spoke. 
"Before  I  shake  hands  with  you,  Lord  Taborley,  I 
have  to  know  what  you  mean  by  your  utmost.  With 
so  many  playing-cards  out  against  me,  I  don't  stand 

the  ghost  of  a  show  unless Perhaps  I  have  no 

right  to  expect  it ;  I  never  asked  quarter  from  any 
man.  I  was  going  to  say,  unless  you  intend  to  be 
gallant " 

Tabs  pocketed  his  hand  and  turned  to  limp  into 
the  sunlit  thunder  of  the  Strand.  "The  merciful 
receive  mercy,  General.  Perhaps  we  shall  shake 
hands  some  other  day.  How  gallant  I  am  depends 
entirely  upon  yourself." 


He  emerged  into  the  swollen  thoroughfare,  where 
the  traffic  roared  and  jostled  like  a  torrent  through 
a  mountain  gorge  towards  the  broader  freedom  of 


130     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Trafalgar  Square.  He  turned  westward,  walking 
swiftly  for  the  first  hundred  yards,  rather  fearing 
that  he  might  be  followed.  Then  he  slowed  down; 
swift  walking  made  his  limp  too  painfully  obvious. 

He  was  dissatisfied  with  both  himself  and  Braith- 
waite.  He  felt  as  though  he  had  gone  to  meet  some 
one  in  a  wood  and  had  heard  only  the  muttering  of 
a  voice  and  the  rustle  of  retreating  footsteps.  "If  I 
had  only  seen  his  face,"  he  thought. 

In  recalling  Braithwaite,  he  found  himself  pic 
turing  two  persons,  of  both  of  whom  he  had  had 
separate  and  distinct  glimpses:  the  one  the  loyal 
man,  who  in  years  gone  by  had  served  him  faithfully 
and  shared  so  many  of  his  adventures ;  the  other  the 
arrogant,  red-tabbed  superior,  who  had  stolen  his 
happiness  without  warning.  It  was  impossible  to 
resolve  the  two  into  one.  The  first  he  still  regarded 

with  affection.  The  second He  had  never 

allowed  himself  to  hate  any  one.  Hatred  he  held 
to  be  back  of  breeding — a  weak  man's  subterfuge 
for  acknowledging  self-distrust.  Because  he  had 
come  so  near  to  hating,  he  accused  himself  of  cen- 
soriousness.  "If  I  had  only  seen  his  face — the  real 
man  beneath  the  pretense — I  might  have  understood 
and  helped  him,"  he  muttered. 

And  now  he  was  going  to  a  fresh  encounter  where 
even  more  sympathy  would  be  required.  It  would 
be  easy  to  condemn  Maisie  P.  Lockwood.  On  a 
superficial  judgment  she  merited  nothing  else.  Three 
husbands  in  four  and  a  half  years,  plus  a  risky  flirta 
tion  with  a  married  man  were  not  the  credentials 
of  an  honorable  character.  If  he  followed  the  ad- 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  131 

vice  of  Sir  Tobias  Beddow,  he  would  seek  to  assess 
her  price  at  once.  But  he  had  never  been  accustomed 
to  regard  women  in  that  light — as  a  sex  whose  virtue 
could  be  inflated  or  depressed  by  the  increase  or 
shrinkage  of  a  balance  at  the  bank.  Actually  he 
knew  very  little  about  women ;  riding  as  a  knight- 
errant,  with  the  wonder  in  his  eyes  of  the  mystery 
that  might  surprise  him  round  the  luck  of  any  cor 
ner,  he  had  never  given  himself  much  time  to  learn. 
His  ideas  about  women  were  Tennysonian.  He  liked 
to  believe  that  they  were  free  from  temptations,  more 
true  in  their  emotions,  more  generous  in  their  affec 
tions,  more  unerring  and  unstained  than  men.  He 
extended  to  them  all  the  reverent  tenderness  with 
which  he  regarded  his  mother's  memory.  In  this  he 
saw  nothing  quixotic ;  to  him  the  most  hoydenish  girl 
was  a  potential  mother,  whose  body  possessed  a  sa- 
credness  quite  apart  from  herself  as  a  slim,  adven 
turous  ark  which  would  bear  the  future  of  the  race 
across  the  deluge  of  the  ages.  He  knew,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  that  all  women  were  invariably  neither  saints 
nor  angels ;  but  he  clung  to  his  chivalrous  supersti 
tion  as  a  man  prays,  though  he  receives  no  answers 
to  his  prayers.  To  the  recorded  cynicism  of  experi 
menters  in  temptation  he  flung  back  the  challenge 
of  a  sadder  cynic,  "We're  all  in  the  gutter ;  but  some 
of  us  are  looking  at  the  stars." 

So  in  this  matter  of  Maisie,  he  argued,  she  couldn't 
be  as  shallow  as  her  history  would  indicate.  She 
was  Terry's  friend;  that,  in  itself,  was  a  proof  of 
goodness.  Terry  had  been  so  anxious  for  him  to 
meet  and  comprehend  her  that  she  had  gone  behind 


132     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

his  back  to  prompt  the  appointment.  Well,  he  would 
make  a  better  job  of  this  second  interview  than  he 
had  of  the  one  that  was  just  ended.  He  must  ap 
proach  it,  at  any  rate,  without  prejudice. 

While  thinking  these  thoughts  he  reached  Charing 
Cross.  Already  he  was  weary  with  so  small  an  ex 
ertion.  He  halted,  debating  whether  he  should  strug 
gle  further.  Then  he  became  aware  of  wounded 
Tommies,  chiefly  Overseas  troops,  Canadians  and 
Australians,  who  from  their  first  landing  in  England 
had  chosen  this  quarter  of  a  mile  as  their  happy 
hunting-ground.  They  stood  propped  up  against  the 
pavement ;  they  sat  among  the  pigeons  on  the  para 
pets  of  Trafalgar  Square.  They  were  laughing  and 
chaffing,  those  one-legged,  one-armed,  derelict  cru 
saders  in  their  atrocious  hospital  uniforms.  They 
were  thousands  of  miles  from  their  one  and  only 
woman  ;  but  their  drawn  faces  grinned  cheerfully  and 
their  jaws  were  squared  in  the  old,  invincible,  obsti 
nate  determination  never  to  admit  they  were  down 
hearted.  The  sight  of  them  filled  him  with  strength. 
Though  he  saw  them  only  fugitively  through  gaps  in 
the  tide  of  traffic,  he  felt  their  companionship.  He 
would  always  feel  it — the  fine,  shared  courage  of  men 
out  of  sight,  who  had  adventured  for  an  ideal  as 
his  companions. 

He  crossed  the  top  of  Whitehall,  passed  beneath 
the  Admiralty  Arch  and  entered  the  garnished,  grav 
eled,  tree-bordered  spaciousness  of  the  Mall.  His 
old  sense  returned — the  confidence  which  the  Mall 
always  gave  to  him — of  Empire  and  world-wideness. 
As  he  strolled  along,  he  noticed  a  board  which  in- 


ALL  SORTS  OF  KINGDOMS  133 

formed  the  public  that,  by  following  a  certain  path, 
one  would  arrive  at  the  Passport  Office.  Hidden  in 
the  greenness,  set  down  in  the  bed  of  an  ornamental 
lake  which  had  been  drained  when  the  terror  of  air 
raids  had  threatened,  he  made  out  a  low-built, 
sprawling  shed.  It  was  like  a  glimpse  of  romance. 
The  path  which  led  to  its  doorway  was  the  first  few 
hundred  yards  along  the  road  that  ran  to  Rio,  Fiji 
and  Tibet.  One  had  but  to  enter  and  the  journey 
was  commenced.  The  sight  reminded  him  of  some 
thing  which  he  had  forgotten;  that,  though  every 
other  delight  failed,  he  still  possessed  the  wideness 
of  the  world.  He  could  sail  away.  There  were 
islands  of  the  sea — Stevenson's  Samoa,  Conrad's  Ma 
lay  Archipelago.  If  people  proved  disappointing, 
there  were  always  the  painted  solitudes  which  human 
disillusions  had  not  withered  and  could  not  defile. 
It  was  a  loop-hole  worth  remembering. 

Outside  Buckingham  Palace  he  made  an  unpre 
meditated  surrender.  A  taxi  was  prowling  along  by 
the  curb  as  slowly  as  regulations  allowed.  He  raised 
his  stick  automatically  as  he  caught  the  driver's  eye. 
When  the  cab  had  halted,  again  he  procrastinated 
with  the  handle  of  the  door  in  his  hand. 

"Where  to?"  the  driver  enquire  I  for  the  second 
time. 

"To  Brompton  Square,"  he  ordered  uncertainly. 

The  cat  was  already  moving  when  he  changed  his 
mind.  Standing  up  and  leaning  out  of  the  window, 
"No.  To  Chelsea,'*  he  shouted  above  the  throbbing 
of  the  engine.  Then  drawing  out  Maisie's  crumpled 
letter,  he  read  from  it  the  address. 


CHAPTER  THE  FOURTH 

THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE 


TABS  was  not  very  familiar  with  Chelsea.  He 
had  seen  it  from  the  river  a  score  of  times,  red- 
walled,  umbrageous  and  old-fashioned.  But  of  the 
district  itself  he  knew  next  to  nothing,  save  that 
up  to  the  war  it  had  been  the  favorite  roosting- 
place  of  short-haired  women  and  long-haired  men. 
He  wondered  whether  Maisie's  hair  was  short.  He 
decided  in  the  negative.  To  have  attracted  three 
husbands  in  four  and  a  half  years  she  must  be  out 
wardly  conventional.  An  unconventional  woman 
might  persuade  one  man  to  marry  her,  but  not 
three  in  such  rapid  succession.  She  probably  be 
longed  to  the  apparently  harmless,  sympathetic,  sis 
terly,  domestic  type.  And  yet  she  must  be  something 
more  than  conventional;  millions  of  merely  conven 
tional  women  lacked  the  prowess  to  anchor  only  one 
man  in  all  the  years  of  their  life,  whereas,  judging 
by  the  Adair  incident,  Maisie  had  not  yet  completed 
her  list  of  husbands.  There  was  an  undefined  danger 
in  coming  into  contact  with  such  a  woman,  which  lent 
this  expedition  to  Chelsea  an  atmosphere  of  adven 
ture. 

134 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    135 

Did  she  know  for  what  purpose  he  was  visiting 
her?  If  she  did,  she  was  a  bold  woman — a  strategist. 
Her  position  was  strengthened  by  his  coming  to  her 
in  the  guise  of  an  invited  guest.  Then  he  remem 
bered  that  he  had  made  a  bargain  with  himself  to 
meet  her  with  a  mind  unclouded  by  prejudice. 

He  had  been  traveling  mean  thoroughfares,  when 
suddenly  the  cab  swung  into  an  old-world  street  of 
dignified  respectability  and  turned  again  abruptly 
into  a  tiny  quadrangle  of  color-washed,  stucco- 
fronted,  timbered  houses.  In  the  center  was  a  lawn, 
surrounded  with  white  posts  between  which  black 
painted  chains  hung  in  loops;  the  apparent  inten 
tion  was  to  create  the  illusion  of  a  village-green. 
Tabs  entered  instantly  into  the  spirit  of  the  game 
— the  littleness  and  childishness  of  the  attempt  at 
quaintness.  He  liked  the  bijou  privacy  of  the  Court, 
its  greenness  and  tidiness,  and  the  absurdity  of  the 
narrow  windows  which  glinted  at  him  like  spectacles. 
But  there  was  something  that  he  missed. 

The  driver  had  climbed  down  and  was  opening 
the  door.  "Mulberry  Tree  Court,  mister.  I  forget 
which  number  you  told  me ;  but  there  ain't  so  much 
of  it  that  you're  likely  to  lose  yourself." 

"But  where's  the  mulberry  tree?"  Tabs  asked. 
There  was  in  his  voice  the  discontent  of  a  disap 
pointed  child. 

"There  never  was  no  mulberry  tree,"  the  man 
replied  in  all  seriousness. 

"Well,  if  there  isn't  a  mulberry  tree,"  Tabs 
laughed,  "I  suppose  we  must  make  shift  to  do  without 
it." 


136     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

The  man  frowned  and  justified  himself  grum- 
blingly.  "It  ain't  my  bloomin'  fault.  I've  done 
nothin'  with  yer  bloomin'  tree." 

"I  suppose  not,"  said  Tabs  as  if  the  matter  were 
still  in  doubt. 

Feeling  in  his  pocket  he  paid  what  was  owing  and 
watched  the  cab  move  off.  Even  at  this  last  moment 
he  was  half-minded  to  retreat.  What  business  was 
it  of  his  to  interfere  in  another  man's  love-affair? 
He  looked  stealthily  round  the  Court  to  see  if  eyes 
were  watching.  All  the  windows  were  empty ;  noth 
ing  stirred.  The  fact  that  he  was  not  watched  re 
assured  him.  He  glanced  at  the  number  on  the 
nearest  door,  discovered  in  which  direction  the  num 
bers  ran  and  decided  that  his  must  be  the  house 
conspicuous  for  its  marigold-tinted  curtains,  stand 
ing  retiringly  in  the  farthest  corner. 

Once  again  he  hesitated.  Should  he  or  should  he 
not?  The  old  nursery- rhyme  came  wandering  into 
his  head  with  its  innocent  lilt  of  jolliness: 

"Here  we  go  round  the  mulberry-bush, 
The  mulberry-bush,  the  mulberry-bush; 
Here  we  go  round  the  mulberry-bush, 
So  early  in  the  morning." 

"And  so  we  do,"  he  murmured.  "Let's  take  a 
chance." 

II 

The  door — an  apple-green  door — was  opened  by 
a  maid  as  trim  as  Ann.  Was  Mrs.  Lockwood  in? 
She  would  enquire.  "And  your  name,  please,  sir? 
— Lord  Taborley!  Certainly." 


She  left  him  waiting  in  the  hall,  while  she  went 
to  make  her  fictional  enquiries.  He  was  as  sure  that 
they  were  fictional  as  if  he  had  glanced  into  the  room 
upstairs  where  Maisie  was  making  a  last  anxious 
inspection  before  her  mirror.  So  the  pretense  was 
to  be  that  he  had  called  casually  and  had  scarcely 
been  expected. 

He  tried  to  learn  something  of  Maisie  from  the 
appearance  of  her  hall.  It  was  speckless.  Every 
thing  in  it  shone  with  intense  cleanliness  and  polish. 
He  had  noticed  the  same  gleam  about  the  windows, 
brasses  and  very  doorstep  before  he  had  entered.  He 
had  noticed  it  again  about  the  maid  who  had  ad 
mitted  him.  It  sent  Maisie  up  very  much  in  his 
estimation.  It  almost  explained  to  him  how  she  had 
managed  to  get  three  husbands.  Men  never  know 
why  they  fall  in  love  with  a  woman ;  more  often  than 
not  they  mistake  tidiness  for  beauty.  "If  you  can't 
be  beautiful,  be  clean,"  Maisie's  hall  seemed  to  say; 
"if  you  can  be  both,  you're  invincible."  Maisie  was 
invincible,  as  her  conquests  proved.  This  first 
glimpse  of  her  belongings  showed  that  she  loved 
cleanliness.  By  a  jump  in  his  logic  Tabs  began  to 
suspect  that  she  must  be  beautiful. 

He  had  pursued  his  observations  thus  far,  when 
he  heard  a  door  discreetly  closed  overhead  and  the 
starchy  rustling  of  the  maid  returning. 

"If  your  Lordship  will  step  into  the  drawing-room, 
Madam  will  be  down  in  a  moment." 

He  found  himself  in  a  long  artistic  room,  feminine 
to  a  degree,  exquisitely  restful  and  yet  broad-minded 
with  signs  of  selection  and  travel.  It  was  furnished 


138     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

according  to  no  particular  period.  There  was  an 
Italian  chest  of  drawers  inlaid  with  ivory,  a  Dutch 
marquetry  secretaire,  some  Louis  XVIth  chairs,  a 
mirror  of  old  Venetian  glass,  bronzes,  snuff-boxes, 
specimens  of  china,  odd  bits  of  beaten  silver,  knick- 
knacks  of  all  sorts,  lying  scattered  about  with  ap 
parent  carelessness.  A  fire  was  burning  in  the  grate. 
Tea  was  set  out  on  a  table  beside  a  companionable 
couch.  Through  French  windows  the  smallest  of 
gardens  shone  bravely,  a-blow  with  bulb  flowers 
planted  in  crevices  of  a  rockery,  at  the  foot  of  which 
lay  an  oval  pond  and  a  silent  fountain.  As  though 
to  emphasize  the  game  of  littleness,  a  toy-boat  floated 
on  the  pond's  surface. 

"Not  the  woman  I  had  imagined,"  was  his  un 
spoken  thought ;  "not  the  wily  adventuress  !  But  if 
she's  not,  then  what " 

In  an  attempt  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  he  com 
menced  to  inspect  the  room  in  detail.  The  first  thing 
he  discovered  was  that  all  the  silver  frames,  which 
stood  about,  contained  photographs  of  the  same  man. 
It  struck  him  as  an  odd  exhibition  of  faithfulness 
on  the  part  of  a  woman  who  had  had  so  many  hus 
bands.  He  counted  the  photographs ;  there  were 
no  less  than  five  of  them,  recording  the  same  face 
from  varying  angles. 

"Which  of  them  is  he,"  he  asked  himself,  "Pollock, 
Gervis,  or  Lockwood?  But  he  mayn't  be  any  of 
them.  Perhaps  he's  a  possible  fourth — the  latest. 
If  so,  here's  hoping,  for  he  shuts  out  Adair." 

He  turned  towards  the  couch,  intending  to   sit 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    139 

down.  As  he  turned,  his  gaze  encountered  an  oil- 
painting  hanging  above  the  mantelpiece. 

"By  George!     How  did  I  manage  to  miss  that?'* 

He  stared  at  it  with  intense  interest — almost  with 
a  sense  of  shock.  Somewhere — he  could  not  deter 
mine  where — he  had  seen  that  face  before. 

The  picture  was  a  half-length  portrait  of  a 
woman.  There  was  something  extraordinarily 
queenly  and  at  the  same  time  patient  in  her  attitude. 
Her  hands,  which  were  out  of  sight,  seemed  to  be 
folded.  She  was  seated,  leaning  forward;  her  head 
was  turned  towards  the  right,  so  that  her  face  ap 
peared  in  profile.  She  was  in  extremely  low  evening- 
dress  of  an  aquamarine  shade,  flowered  with  gold. 
Her  shoulders  were  sickle-shaped  and  gleamed  like 
the  half-crescent  of  a  young  moon.  From  her  throat, 
which  was  full  and  white,  hung  a  splendid  string  of 
tan-colored  pearls.  But  it  was  the  slope  of  her 
jaw,  the  way  her  ears  set  back,  and  the  rounded 
strength  of  her  head  that  gave  to  her  that  peculiarly 
alert  beauty.  Her  dark  hair  was  drawn  from  off 
her  forehead,  making  clear  in  her  features  an  expres 
sion  of  calm  challenge.  She  was  a  woman  who  had 
lived  and  not  always  happily.  Her  calmness  was  the 
quiet  of  almost  painful  self-control.  And  her 

age With  her  atmosphere  of  experience,  it  was 

certainly  over  thirty.  She  was  not  the  woman  to 
put  back  the  hands  of  time  for  any  man. 

"It  can't  be  of  Maisie,"  he  thought,  and  yet  he 
hoped.  "But  it  can't  be  of  her,"  he  insisted.  "This 
woman  is  remote  and  uncapturable.  She's  done  with 
passion.  She's  tasted  life  to  the  full  and  the  taste 


140     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

was  bitter.  She  has  nothing  left  but  her  unquench 
able  pride,  with  which  she  tortures  herself :  her  pride 
not  to  submit,  not  to  cry  out,  to  stand  always  at 
bay.  That's  all  she  has,  unless —  And  then, 

speaking  aloud  in  his  effort  to  remember,  "I  know 
her.  I'm  positive.  And  yet 

The  door  behind  him  opened.  "This  is  nice  of 
you,  Lord  Taborley. — Ah,  you  were  looking  at  Di! 
Most  men  do  that  when  they  visit  me.  I  ought  to  be 
jealous.  But  a  word  of  warning;  looking  is  as  far 
as  any  of  them  get." 

Tabs  found  himself  shaking  hands  with  a  woman 
who  shared  the  features  of  the  woman  in  the  por 
trait,  but  who  differed  from  her  in  that  she  was  fair, 
lacked  her  alluring  remoteness  and  had  much  more 
of  youth  to  her  credit.  Whereas  the  woman  in  the 
portrait  looked  uncapturable,  Maisie's  charm  lay  in 
her  accessibility — the  genial  promise  she  held  out  of 
being  willing  and  even  eager  to  surrender.  Her  every 
tone  and  gesture  proclaimed  her  anxiety  to  find  this 
world  a  pleasant  place — her  determination  to  make 
it  pleasant  and  to  be  gay  under  every  circumstance. 

She  was  as  little,  flawless  and  gleaming  as  her 
house.  More  than  half  her  good  looks  were  due  to  the 
immaculate  care  which  she  bestowed  on  her  body — the 
whiteness  of  her  teeth,  the  fineness  of  her  well-kept 
hands,  the  brilliant  clearness  of  her  complexion,  the 
wavy  smoothness  of  her  abundant  flaxen  hair  which 
had  been  brushed  and  brushed  until  it  shone  and 
glinted  like  raw  gold  in  sunshine.  She  would  have 
looked  almost  too  perfect  to  be  genuine,  had  it  not 
been  for  her  vivid  health.  She  was  so  dainty  in  her 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    141 

fragility  that  one  longed  and  yet  scarcely  dared  to 
touch  her. 

The  moment  she  had  spoken  Tabs  had  recognized 
that  nothing  that  she  had  done  or  might  do  could 
obscure  her  atmosphere  of  breeding.  He  had  met 
men  like  that,  whose  sense  of  race,  even  when  they 
were  at  the  lowest  depths,  had  kept  them  superior 
to  their  environment.  A  pale  woman  of  spun  silk  and 
gossamer,  with  cornflower  eyes  and  lips  like  parted 
poppy-petals  !  This  woman  could  be  kind  to  the  point 
of  folly — so  kind  that  her  folly  would  appear  almost 
virtue.  She  was  a  woman  who,  though  she  might  love 
too  often,  would  love  so  much  that  to  her  much  would 
always  be  forgiven. 

"I  must  apologize,"  Tabs  spoke  gently,  "for  hav 
ing  been  found  staring  at  your  picture." 

He  did  not  know  it,  but  men  always  spoke  gently 
to  Maisie.  It  was  her  air  of  trust  and  helpless 
ness  that  did  it,  her  tender  trick  of  creating  in 
each  man  the  belief  that  she  relied  peculiarly  on  him 
for  protection — all  of  which  was  totally  at  variance 
with  the  masterly  efficiency  with  which  she  ran  both 
herself  and  her  house. 

"I  was  staring  at  your  picture,"  Tabs  continued, 
"because  I  thought  I  recognized 

"I  daresay  you  did,"  Maisie  interrupted. 
"Though  you  may  not  have  met  her,  her  face  is  for 
ever  in  the  papers.  Among  the  family  she's  known  as 
the  Princess  Czarina  Bolshevik! " 

"She  looks  it.     But  is  she  a  princess?" 

Maisie  laughed.  "Not  yet,  but  it  won't  be  her 
fault  if  sb#  isn't.  It'll  have  to  be  a  prince  next  time. 


142     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

If  she  marries  again,  she'll  stoop  to  nothing  less. 
Look  at  the  way  she  carries  her  head ;  she  almost  feels 
the  weight  of  her  coronet  already.  But  she  says  she's 
had  enough  of  marriage.  We've  all  said  that.  Poor 
dear  Di,  she  misses  a  lot  of  fun  by  her  exclusiveness. 
If  I  only  had  half  her  wealth ' 

She  evidently  wanted  Tabs  to  ask  her  what  she 
would  do  with  it.  Her  eyes  grew  round  with  spend 
thrift  promises  of  jolliness,  if  ever  such  wealth  should 
come  within  reach  of  her  tiny,  managing  hands.  She 
looked  as  mischievously  covetous  as  a  magpie  while 
she  waited  for  him  to  put  the  obvious  question. 

But  Tabs  wasn't  interested  in  the  obvious.  He 
stuck  to  his  enquiry.  "What  you've  told  me  doesn't 
help  me  to  recall  her,"  he  said.  "Who  is  she?  It's 
most  annoying  to  recognize  a  face  and  not  to  be  able 
to  place  it  against  any  background." 

Maisie  pretended  to  pout.  "You're  like  all  the 
rest  of  them ;  you  come  to  see  me  and  do  nothing  but 
talk  of  her.  I'd  have  hidden  her  in  the  attic  long 
ago,  only  she's  by  Sargent.  She's  too  beautiful  for 
hiding,  and  then  no  one  can  afford  to  hide  her 
Sargent  under  a  bushel  in  these  hard  times." 

"And  still  you've  not  told  me,"  Tabs  reproached 
her. 

m 

"Wouldn't  we  be  more  comfortable  sitting  down?" 
Maisie  slid  between  the  couch  and  the  tea-table, 
making  herself  comfortable  against  a  pile  of  cushions. 
When  Tabs  looked  round  for  a  seat,  he  discovered 
the  strategy  of  the  arrangement  of  the  furniture. 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE     143 

The  nearest  available  chair  to  Maisie  was  at  least 
four  yards  away ;  to  have  selected  it  would  have  been 
to  have  isolated  himself.  He  would  have  had  to  have 
hailed  her  ridiculously  across  the  room's  breadth.  It 
was  plainly  intended  that  he  should  challenge  fate 
and  share  the  couch,  just  as  Pollock,  Gervis,  Lock- 
wood,  Adair  and  so  many  others  had  done  before 
him. 

All  this  friendliness  would  make  it  a  little  difficult 
for  him  presently  when  he  broached  the  subject  of 
Adair.  He  had  an  uneasy  feeling  that  Sir  Tobias 
wouldn't  approve  of  this  way  of  conducting  his  mis 
sion.  It  was  one  thing  to  fly  the  white  flag  of  truce 
while  you  parleyed  with  the  enemy ;  it  was  quite  an 
other  to  share  the  same  couch  with  her  in  a  cozy 
room,  where  there  were  only  the  two  of  you  and  the 
jumping  flames  of  the  fire  in  the  grate  made  the  sil 
ver  on  the  small  round  table  glow  red.  When  they 
weren't  talking  there  was  no  sound.  None  of  the 
clamor  of  London  reached  them.  They  might  have 
been  in  a  cave,  far  removed  from  everything  that  dis 
turbed.  And,  indeed,  the  little  piled-up  rockery  out 
side  the  windows,  with  the  spring  flowers  blowing  and 
the  baby  lake,  with  the  toy-boat  drifting  on  its  quiet 
surface,  rather  created  the  illusion  that  this  was  a 
cave. 

.  A  restful  lethargy  of  kindness  was  creeping  over 
him.  He  didn't  want  to  be  at  enmity  with  anybody, 
least  of  all  with  this  dainty  sprite  of  a  woman  with 
the  cornflower  eyes  and  the  flaxen  hair.  He  no  longer 
wondered  that  three  men  in  succession,  weary  of  the 
mud  of  fighting,  had  come  to  her  for  rest.  He  could 


144     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

even  comprehend  Adair's  treachery,  if  it  had  gone 
so  far  as  treachery.  Adair  had  found  his  wife  fret 
ful — she  had  always  been  crying  and  hanging  round 
his  neck.  Here  he  had  found  companionship,  secret 
laughter  and  forgetfulness.  The  world  owed  any 
woman  a  large  debt  of  liberty  who  could  give  men 
that.  Maisie  was  the  kind  of  woman  who  could  bury 
twenty  husbands  and  go  out  next  morning  to  meet 
the  twenty-first.  What  was  far  more  amazing,  she 
could  do  it  without  frivolity  or  loss  of  self-respect. 
She  lived  a  day  at  a  time.  She  made  you  feel,  the 
moment  you  met  her,  that  that  was  the  only  tolerable 
way  of  living.  The  excuse  for  her  philosophy  was  its 
success.  She  was  an  expert  in  happiness — so  expert 
that  she  could  communicate  her  secret  without  waste 
of  words.  Probably  for  most  men  words  were  not 
necessary;  for  them  their  happiness  was  herself. 

From  her  end  of  the  couch  Maisie  smiled  at  Tabs 
dreamily.  "You're  persistent  when  you  want  any 
thing.  I  suppose  you  always  get  your  desires?" 

"The  little  things,  yes,"  he  replied.  "But  the 
big  things — they  evade  me.'* 

"You  mean  Terry." 

She  said  it  without  change  of  tone  or  expression, 
with  the  same  happy  smile  curling  up  the  corners 
of  her  uncruel  mouth.  It  was  disconcerting  to  have 
his  private  humiliations  referred  to  so  frankly,  as 
though  they  were  fitting  subjects  for  casual  conver 
sation.  But,  after  all,  he  reminded  himself,  his  busi 
ness  there  was  to  discuss  her  equally  private  affairs. 
He  was  hardly  in  a  position  to  resent  anything  she 
might  say.  It  was  a  duel,  and  she  had  drawn  first 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    145 

blood.  He  was  quick  to  see  that  her  purpose  in  in 
troducing  Terry  was  to  gain  an  advantage  while  she 
postponed  the  inevitable  discussion  of  Adair. 

She  didn't  give  him  a  chance  to  reply.  "I  know 
all  about  you  and  Terry,"  she  continued,  "and  about 
Braithwaite,  too,  for  the  matter  of  that.  Perhaps 
why  Terry  evades  you  is  because  she  isn't  one  of 
your  really  big  things.  You  may  have  mistaken  her 
for  a  big  thing.  If  she  is  one  of  your  truly  big 
things,  you'll  get  her.  You're  one  of  the  few  men 
who  get  all  that  they  desire." 

It  was  possible  that  she  was  trying  to  flatter  him ; 
nevertheless,  against  his  will,  the  certainty  of  her  way 
of  talking  impressed  him.  "What  makes  you  think 
that  I  get  everything  that  I  desire?" 

She  laughed  and  snuggled  closer  into  the  cushions. 
"I  can't  put  it  into  words.  I  just  know  by  looking 
at  you.  You  have  the  air." 

"Then  what  makes  you  say  that  Terry  may  not  be 
one  of  my  big  things?" 

She  glanced  up  at  him  amused.  "I  almost  made 
you  angry  when  I  said  that. — Do  you  really  want  to 
know?  I  said  it  because  I  don't  think  that  she  is 
one  of  your  big  things  and,  what's  more,  you  don't 
think  that  she  is  either.  Now  I  have  made  you 

angry But  you  don't — not  the  sane  you,  who 

was  and  is  and  will  be  to-morrow — the  you  who'll  out 
live  this  disappointment." 

He  was  at  one  and  the  same  time  intrigued  and 
offended  by  the  turn  the  conversation  had  taken. 
His  memory  groped  back  to  the  first  conception  he 
had  had  of  this  woman — the  woman  who  tricked  mar- 


146     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ried  men,  who  used  scented  note-paper,  who  inter 
preted  thoughts  before  they  were  uttered  and  fore 
stalled  actions  before  they  had  been  planned — the 
woman  whom  he  had  been  instructed  to  buy  off  with 
a  price.  What  was  he  doing  discussing  his  love-affair 
with  such  as  her? 

His  voice  was  chilling  when  he  spoke.  "It's  very 
good  of  you  to  take  such  an  interest  in  me.  I  ought 
to  be  gratified  that  you  should  think  you  know 
so  much  about  me,  and  after  so  short  an  acquaint 
ance — so  very  much  more  than  I  know  about  my 
self." 

"But  I  don't  think ;  I  do  know  far  more  at  this 
moment  than  you  know  about  yourself."  Her  tones 
were  calm  and  lazy,  unembarrassed  and  pleasant. 
The  red  glow  of  the  fire  glinting  on  the  silver  tea- 
service  seemed  the  reflection  of  her  cheerfulness. 

"If  you're  so  certain  that  you  know,  you  might 
tell  me,"  he  said  stiffly. 

"I  know Do  you  mind  if  I  smoke?"  She 

leant  forward  while  he  held  a  match  to  her  cigarette. 
"I  know  that  you're  an  intensely  lonely  man.  All 
men  have  to  be  lonely  till  they're  thirty  if  they're 
going  to  get  anywhere.  They  have  no  time  to  spare. 
You've  had  no  time  to  spare  for  women — that's  why 
you  don't  understand  them.  Women  were  for  you 
a  treat  in  store,  until  the  war  broke.  Then  sud 
denly  you  discovered  that  you  had  missed  the 
most  precious  thing  in  life.  You  hadn't  the  time  to 
be  wise  in  your  choice,  so  you  turned  to  some  one 
young  and  accessible.  Her  youth  seemed  to  sym 
bolize  all  that  you  coveted  at  the  moment;  it  sym- 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    147 

bolized  going  on  forever.  You  weren't  really  in  love 
with  her  as  an  individual ;  you  were  in  love  with  the 
thought  of  love  and  youth.  You  won't  believe  it, 
but  almost  any  young  girl  who  was  beautiful  and 
willing  would  have  served  your  purpose.  During  the 
terrible  years  you've  clothed  her  with  your  own 
idealism.  You've  told  yourself  that  it  was  for  her 
that  you  were  fighting.  You've  created  in  your 
heart  a  person  she  never  was  and  hasn't  it  in 
her  to  become.  You've  thought  of  her  as  a  second 
you,  with  your  sense  of  honor,  your  passion  for  un 
selfishness,  your  patience  and  experience  gained 
through  suffering.  The  ideal  you've  set  up  for  her 
is  contradictory  and  impossible.  Youth  isn't  con 
siderate,  experienced,  unselfish,  patient.  For  those 
qualities  you  have  to  go  to  the  middle  years.  I  know 
what  I'm  talking  about,  for  I've  had  three  soldier 
husbands."  She  said  it  without  self-reproach  or 
self-glory — as  though  it  were  the  sort  of  thing  that 
might  happen  to  any  woman.  "You've  been  finding 
out  the  kind  of  girl  she  really  is  since  your  return — 
the  kind  of  girl  who  prefers  General  Braithwaite  to 
yourself  and  can't  discriminate  between  the  tem 
porary  and  the  permanent.  You're  disappointed  in 
her.  You've  discovered  already  that  she  isn't  the 
woman  you  thought  you  were  loving.  You're  now 
only  pretending  that  you  still  care  for  her  because 
life  would  be  too  empty  without  your  dream  and 
because  the  right  woman,  for  whom  you've  already 
renewed  your  search,  hasn't  yet  turned  up.  Some 
where  inside  you  at  this  moment  your  sane  self  is 
endorsing  every  word  that  I'm  saying  as  true." 


148     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"That's  not  so.'*  His  contradiction  was  spoken 
fiercely. 

"But  it  is  so,"  the  sweet  voice  persisted.  "You 
yourself  have  tacitly  owned  it." 

"How?" 

There  was  the  sharpness  of  alarm  in  his  way  of 
asking.  Her  assurance  had  startled  him  out  of  his 
brief  anger. 

She  laughed  softly.  "I  think  we  might  have  tea ; 
it'll  restore  our  serenity.  There's  nothing  like  em 
ploying  your  hands  when  you  want  to  keep  from 
losing  your  temper.  A  woman  learns  that,  even 
when  she's  only  been  married  once.  When  she's  been 
married  three  times,"  the  cornflower  eyes  became 
suddenly  innocent,  "she  knows  everything. — Will 
you  touch  the  bell?  It'll  save  me  getting  up. — How, 
you  ask.  How  do  I  know  that  you've  already  re 
newed  your  searching?  To  a  man  who's  as  head 
over  heels  in  love  as  you  profess  to  be  all  women, 
except  the  one  woman,  however  beautiful,  ought  to 
be  hanks  of  hair  and  bags  of  bones.  I  read  your 
thoughts  when  I  caught  you  gazing  at  my  sister's 
portrait.  You  were  saying  to  yourself,  'What  if 
she's  the  woman !'  And  you're  even  sufficiently  de 
tached  in  your  affections  to  acknowledge  attraction 
in  a  horrid  little  pestering,  too-much-married  per 
son  like  myself." 

IV 

It  was  lucky  that  the  maid  selected  that  moment 
for  answering  the  bell.  Things  were  getting  uncom 
fortably  personal.  Tabs  had  the  idea  that  Maisie 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    149 

had  been  talking  against  time  till  she  should  hear 
the  footsteps  of  her  reinforcements.  As  the  maid 
entered,  she  turned  towards  her  with  the  brightness 
of  relief. 

"That's  splendid  of  you,  Porter.  You  guessed 
what  we  wanted. — Porter  always  guesses  what  I 
want,  Lord  Taborley ;  she's  my  second  self.  And 
Porter  can  tell  your  fortune  from  the  cards — can't 
you,  Porter?  Only  she  never  reads  the  cards  on  a 
Sunday ;  she  says  it  brings  bad  luck.  If  you  come 
here  often,  you  must  try  her. — You  might  take  that 
dish  from  her. — Thanks  awfully.  There's  room  for 
it  here  on  this  corner  of  the  tray." 

Tabs  smiled  inwardly  while  he  did  his  awkward 
best  to  make  himself  useful.  He  might  know  very 
little  about  women,  but  he  knew  intuitively  quite  a 
lot  about  this  particular  woman.  He  knew  that 
Porter  had  guessed  nothing,  because  nothing  had 
been  left  to  chance.  He  knew  it  as  surely  as  he  had 
known  what  Maisie  had  been  doing  in  front  of  her 
mirror  while  he  had  been  kept  waiting.  He  knew 
that  long  before  his  arrival  every  detail  of  his  re 
ception  had  been  prepared  and  planned,  and  that 
Porter  had  been  instructed.  The  whole  morning  had 
been  spent  in  dusting,  sweeping,  polishing  and  mak 
ing  ready  the  various  dishes  of  dainty  cakes  and 
neatly-cut  sandwiches  which  were  being  spread  be 
fore  him.  He  was  certain  that  the  kindly  patronage 
of  Maisie's  way  of  addressing  Porter  was  another 
part  of  the  conspiracy. 

Curiously  enough  it  was  Porter  who  made  him 
like  and  trust  her  more  than  he  had  done  as  yet. 


150     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Porter's  eyes,  when  they  rested  on  her  mistress,  em 
braced  her  with  a  slavish  worship ;  when  they  rested 
on  him,  they  warned  and  dared  him.  He  had  the 
feeling  that  the  man  who  made  Maisie  cry  was  likely 
to  feel  a  knife  in  his  back.  Maisie  must  be  good  to 
be  able  to  call  forth  such  fanatical  loyalty  from  a 
humble  woman.  He  began  to  be  infected  by  this 
atmosphere  of  idolatry.  And  yet 

What  was  Maisie's  object  in  belittling  his  love  for 
Terry?  What  did  she  hope  to  gain  by  it?  He 
hardly  dared  allow  himself  to  suspect;  thinking  in 
her  presence  was  like  speaking  aloud.  She  heard 
unspoken  words  as  plainly  as  those  that  were  uttered. 
But  the  suspicion  would  not  be  suppressed.  Had 
she  formed  the  audacious  plan  of  winning  him  for 
herself?  And  this  despite  her  three  previous  mar 
riages,  despite  her  knowledge  of  why  he  had  visited 
her,  despite  his  knowledge  of  Adair ! 

Quick  as  a  flash  her  eyes  turned  on  him  with  a 
scarcely  perceptible  shake  of  her  head.  The  door 
clicked  discreetly  as  Porter  left  them.  It  was  like 
clearing  a  ring  for  the  second  round.  The  danger 
ous  intimacy,  half  tender,  half  inimical,  returned. 

"There's  no  harm  in  being  pleasant,"  her  voice 
was  musical  and  pleading,  "however  unpleasant  the 
circumstances  which  have  thrown  us  together.  Tak 
ing  tea  with  me  doesn't  set  up  any  social  obligation. 
You  won't  have  to  know  me  again  or  anything  like 

that.  Now  that  we  understand  each  other How 

do  you  like  your  tea?  Is  it  two  lumps?" 

With  the  tongs  poised  ready  to  pounce,  she  waited 
for  him  to  tell  her.  But  he  didn't  tell  her;  he  smiled 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    151 

inscrutably.  He  wasn't  sure  at  what  he  was  smiling. 
Perhaps  it  was  that  he  was  happy — happy  in  a 
worldly-wise  fashion  that  he  had  never  been  with 
Terry.  He  could  say  anything  to  this  woman  and 
it  wouldn't  shock  her — there  was  comfort  in  that. 

But  she  had  scared  up  a  doubt  in  his  mind  that 
lie  might  have  mistaken  his  kingdom.  Perhaps  the 
recovery  of  youth  wasn't  everything.  There  were 
things  very  precious  in  themselves,  which  were  well 
lost  under  certain  circumstances.  Maisie's  youth, 
for  instance.  She  was  far  more  enchanting  now  than 
she  could  ever  have  been  as  a  girl.  In  losing  her 
youth  she  had  gained  in  sympathy ;  it  was  that  that 
made  her  understand  him  so  weh1.  In  a  wife  you 
wanted  more  than  youth — the  knowledge  of  a  com 
panion.  It  began  to  dawn  on  him  that  there  might  be 
truth  in  what  she  had  said.  Perhaps  once  again 
she  had  known  him  better  than  he  knew  himself.  He 
had  been  with  her  less  than  an  hour.  He  didn't 
completely  trust  her,  and  yet  here  was  this  astound 
ing  fact:  by  reason  of  her  experience  there  were 
things  he  could  say  to  her  that  he  would  never  dream 
of  saying  to  the  girl  whom  he  believed  he  loved  best. 
And  Adair,  he,  too — 

"You  hadn't  expected  that  things  would  be  like 
this,"  she  was  saying,  "just  you  and  I,  sitting  like 
old  friends  and  drinking  tea  together.  You'd  nerved 
yourself  up  for  a  vulgar  row.  I  know —  Well, 
since  you  won't  tell  me  how  many  lumps,  I'll  give 
you  two." 

As  he  bent  forward  to  receive  the  cup,  their  hands 
touched.  The  contact  was  electric.  A  rush  of  ex- 


KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

cited  vitality  seemed  to  pour  into  his  body  from  hers. 
The  touch  was  only  for  a  second,  but  it  left  him 
startled  and  stark  of  pretenses.  When  he  sought  her 
eyes,  they  were  calm  as  ever.  "You're  a  most  be 
wildering  woman — the  most  bewildering  I  ever  met," 
he  confessed. 

"Except  my  sister,"  she  corrected. 

He  glanced  up  at  the  portrait  and  back  to  her, 
comparing  the  features.  "Yes,  I  see  it  now.  She 
is  your  sister.  I  ought  to  have  guessed.  But  I 
haven't  met  her;  so  I  don't  except  her." 

Maisie  busied  herself  with  passing  the  dishes.  She 
had  a  way  of  making  everything  appear  conventional 
by  the  unruffled  quiet  with  which  she  accepted  it.  At 
the  back  of  her  mind  she  seemed  to  be  smiling  at 
the  domestic  scene  she  had  achieved  with  this  man, 
who  should  have  been  her  enemy. 

"No,  you  haven't  met  her,"  she  assented.  "But 
until  you've  met  her,  you  won't  rest ;  and  after  you've 
met  her,  you  won't  rest  either. — And  so  you  think 
I'm  bewildering !  You  thought  something  else,  which 
you  didn't  have  the  courage  to  put  into  words.  Be 
wildering  and  dangerous — the  most  dangerous 
woman  you'd  ever  met — that  was  what  you  meant." 

He  smiled  with  a  shade  of  embarrassment.  "I 
might  have  called  you  the  most  disconcerting  woman ; 
you're  all  of  that.  No  man  of  sense,  who  valued  his 
peace  of  mind,  would  tell  any  woman  she  was  dan 
gerous." 

"I  don't  see  why.  Why  shouldn't  he?  Do  tell 
me.  I  shan't  be  offended."  She  leant  forward,  ab- 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    153 

sorbing  him  with  her  childish  eyes,  her  lips  parted 
with  expectancy. 

"Because Tabs  checked  himself  while  he 

studied  the  tantalizing  innocence  of  her  expression. 
He  felt  certain  that  he  was  going  to  say  something 
irresistibly  unwise.  To  gain  time  he  looked  away 
and  commenced  aimlessly  stirring  his  cup.  "Well, 
if  you  must  have  it,  because  to  tell  a  woman  that 
would  be  to  tempt  her  to  be  dangerous." 

"But  I  love  to  be  tempted,"  she  said  eagerly ; 
"temptation  is  the  yeast  of  life."  And  then  in  a 
whisper,  speaking  less  to  him  than  to  herself,  "A 
woman  knows  that  she's  old  when  temptation  ends." 

Like  ripples  from  a  stone  flung  into  water  the 
poignancy  of  what  she  had  implied  rather  than  ut 
tered,  spread  away  with  a  commotion  which  grew 
ever  fainter.  They  sat  without  change  of  posture 
at  either  end  of  the  couch,  she  bending  towards  him, 
he  gazing  down  into  his  cup  as  though  by  staring 
into  it  he  could  retain  his  grip  on  the  conventions. 
There  was  no  sound,  save  the  rustling  of  live  coals 
in  the  grate.  Outside  the  window  the  toy  boat 
floated,  a  symbol  of  men's  and  women's  ineffectual 
childishness,  always  dreaming  of  adventures  on  which 
they  never  set  sail.  Tabs  pondered  the  hidden  pro 
fundity  of  her  words.  At  last  he  believed  that 
through  her  he  understood  himself.  It  wasn't  youth 
that  he  or  anybody  coveted ;  it  was  the  more  supreme 
boon  of  not  growing  old.  He  had  just  arrived  at 
this  new  self-knowledge  when  she  spoke. 

"To  be  tempted  means  that  one's  wanted — wanted 
dreadfully,  so  that  it  hurts.  That's  living — to  be 


154     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

wanted.  Not  to  be  wanted  is  worse  than  death. 
When  you're  dead,  you're  forgotten  and  you  forget. 
To  be  forgotten  and  to  remember  is  the  end  of  all 
things.  Not  to  be  wanted  when  you're  alive  is  to 
beat  your  flesh  against  the  walls  of  a  tomb.  Lord 
Taborley,  I  know  what  you  came  for."  He  had  set 


down  his  cup.  She  cover«  his  bronzed  hands  with 
her  own  passionate  whitej^pnes,  overwhelming  him 
with  a  rush  of  words.  "You  came  to  accuse  me,  to 
bribe  me,  to  buy  me.  You  didn't  want  to  hear  me; 
I  was  already  condemned.  Do  you  think  I  don't 
know  what's  said  about  my  marriages?  I  know  too 
well.  But  it  isn't  vanity  that  makes  me  want  to  be 
loved.  It's  so  right  to  be  loved.  It  isn't  wicked 
ness.  It's  the  terror  of  not  being  loved — the  same 
terror  that  makes  you  cling  to  Terry  though  she 
doesn't  want  you  in  return We  all  want  to  be 
lieve  that  we're  wanted.  It's  human.  Without  that 

life's  a  blank.     One  can't  face  up And  I 

She  tore  her  hands  from  him  and  buried  her  face, 
sobbing  in  the  cushions. 


He  had  done  it.  By  some  unaccountable  blunder 
he  had  made  her  cry.  What  was  it  he  had  said? 
Only  a  minute  ago  she  had  been  so  radiant  and 
smiling.  His  first  thought  was  of  Porter ;  she  must 
not  know.  This  crying  must  be  stopped  before  she 
heard  it.  Any  moment  she  might  enter.  Even  now 
she  might  be  listening  at  the  door,  preparing  to 
enter. 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    155 

Another  conjecture  rushed  into  his  mind — this 
sobbing  might  be  part  of  a  prearranged  plan. 
Tears  are  the  jiu-jitsu  of  woman's  art  of  self-defense. 
To  the  world  at  large  the  man  is  always  a  villain 
who  has  caused  them.  "But  I  didn't  cause  them,"  he 
protested  to  himself.  And  then,  "Dash  it  all ! 
There's  nothing  gained-j|y  sitting  here.  I've  got  to 
do  something." 

He  roused  himself  and  limped  round  the  table  to 
the  end  of  the  couch  against  which  her  face  was 
hidden.  He  could  see  nothing  but  the  pale  gold  of 
her  hair,  the  ivory  whiteness  of  her  neck  and  the 
pitiful  heaving  of  her  fascinating  shoulders.  She 
looked  extraordinarily  like  a  doll — a  broken  doll 
which  had  been  allowed  to  fall  through  some  one's 
carelessness. 

"Confound  it!  What  a  brute  I  am!"  he  mut 
tered.  "What  the  dickens  does  one  do  with  a  woman 
in  hysterics?" 

He  laid  his  hand  very  timidly  on  her  silky  hair. 
He  had  had  no  idea  that  it  was  so  silky.  "Cheer  up !" 
he  said  softly.  And  then  again,  "I  do  wish  you'd 
cheer  up." 

She  took  not  the  slightest  notice,  save  that  a  small 
white  hand  scuttled  out  like  a  mouse  from  beneath 
the  cushions  and  commenced  a  hurried  search.  He 
watched  it  and  formed  a  hasty  guess.  It  couldn't 
find  the  thing  for  which  it  had  been  sent,  so  he 
dropped  his  own  large  handkerchief  in  its  path,  saw 
it  take  possession  of  it  and  dive  again  beneath  the 
cushions.  It  made  no  difference  to  the  sobbing. 

What  ought  he  to  do?     He  couldn't  endure  the 


156      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

sound — it  wrenched  him.  He  bent  over  her,  trying 
to  turn  her  obstinately  hidden  face  in  his  direc 
tion. 

"Maisie !"  The  word  had  slipped  out.  It  didn't 
matter.  It  mattered  so  little  that  he  repeated  the 
indiscretion.  "Maisie,  you  mustn't  break  your  heart 
like  that.  No  one  thinks  ill  of  you  and  you  are 
wanted.  You're  wanted  most  awfully.  Heaps  of 
people  want  you." 

The  shoulders  ceased  to  heave  for  a  fraction  of  a 
second,  but  her  face  still  refused  to  turn.  "Who-oo 
— who  wants  me?"  Her  voice  reached  him  choked 
with  tears  and  muffled. 

Tabs  frowned.  The  question  was  a  poser.  Who 
did  want  her?  He  was  blessed  if  he  knew.  There 
must  be  people  who  wanted  her — Adair,  for  instance. 
But  the  mention  of  Adair  would  provide  her  with  a 
reason  for  a  new  outburst.  There  was  only  one  thing 
to  say  under  the  circumstances,  so  he  said  it.  "I 
do." 

She  lay  so  still  that  she  might  have  been  dead.  It 
was  frightening,  this  sudden  silence  after  such  a 
storm  of  emotion.  It  was  so  frightening  that  he  had 
to  say  something  more  to  prove  to  himself  that  she 
could  hear.  "You're  beautiful.  You're  so  gay  when 
you're  not  crying.  I  don't  think  any  man  could 
prevent  himself  from  wanting  you."  And  then  des 
perately,  in  a  last  effort,  "You're  most  tremendously 
charming." 

Her  face  never  stirred  from  the  cushions,  but  he 
was  aware  that  surreptitiously  his  borrowed  handker 
chief  was  being  employed  industriously. 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    157 

He  had  just  time  to  compose  his  features  before  a 
tear-wet  eye  blinked  up  at  him.  It  was  an  eye  elo 
quent  with  gratitude  and  babyishly  blue.  "You're 
a  dear,"  a  small  voice  whispered. 

VI 

He  had  been  called  many  things  from  time  to  time, 
but  never  before  "a  dear."  To  be  called  "a  dear" 
by  a  beautiful  woman  was  an  entirely  new  sensation 
for  him.  It  made  him  distinctly  uncomfortable — 
almost  ashamed.  A  gift  of  this  sort,  even  though  it 
hasn't  been  desired,  puts  the  recipient  under  an  obli 
gation.  When  once  a  woman  has  dubbed  a  man  "a 
dear,"  she  expects  him  to  live  up  to  the  part  she  has 
assigned  him.  Tabs  hoped  that  she  hadn't  been  as 
sincere  as  she  had  sounded. 

Taking  himself  off  to  the  nearest  French  window, 
he  stood  staring  out  morosely — staring  out  at  the 
silly  little  rockery,  with  the  silly  little  pond  at  the 
foot  of  it,  containing  the  silly  little  boat  that  never 
sailed  anywhere.  He  was  cross  with  himself  and 
even  more  cross  with  her.  Why  couldn't  she  have 
behaved  sensibly,  instead  of  bursting  like  a  rain-cloud 
without  warning?  She  made  mysteries  out  of  every 
thing,  out  of  himself,  Terry  and  even  her  sister's 
portrait.  She  never  gaA^e  him  a  complete  answer  to 
any  question.  She  surrounded  herself  with  the 
atmosphere  of  a  detective  novel.  He  was  half-minded 
to  rush  into  the  hall  and  make  good  his  escape  before 
she  involved  him  further.  Sir  Tobias  could  come 
and  conduct  his  own  unpleasantness.  How  on  earth 


158      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

was  he  going  to  tackle  her  concerning  Adair  now  that 
she  had  called  him  "a  dear"? 

But  beneath  his  irritation  and  always  struggling 
to  surmount  it  was  a  quite  different  emotion — an 
emotion  of  tenderness.  He  kept  seeing  her  as  she 
had  lain  there  sobbing,  so  fragile  and  dispossessed 
and  broken.  It  was  the  whiteness  of  her  neck  that 
he  remembered,  the  narrowness  of  her  shoulders  and 
the  silkiness  of  her  pale  gold  hair. 

He  had  been  standing  at  the  window  for  perhaps 
five  minutes  when  her  voice  reached  him  from  a  great 
distance.  "Thanks  muchly  for  the  hanky.  I'm  bet 
ter  now." 

"I'm  glad,"  he  said  with  his  back  towards  her, 
once  again  on  his  guard. 

As  he  turned  slowly,  she  greeted  him  with  a  smile 
of  welcome  and  nodded  towards  her  sister's  portrait. 
"She  wouldn't  have  cried,  you  know." 

"Wouldn't  she?" 

He  had  to  say  something;  that  seemed  as  good  as 
anything.  He  made  no  attempt  to  approach  her, 
but  stood  at  bay  against  the  window  just  where  he 
had  turned.  He  had  arrived  at  one  fixed  determina 
tion  ;  whatever  happened,  he  would  not  again  be  en 
trapped  into  sharing  the  couch  with  her. 

In  answer  to  his  unenthusiastic  enquiry,  Maisie 
shook  her  head  vigorously  like  a  little  girl.  "No,  Di 
wouldn't.  She  never  cries.  Even  when  we  were  chil 
dren  we  couldn't  make  her." 

It  flashed  on  Tabs  that  this  conversation  about 
the  unknown  woman  was  intended  as  a  kind  of  peace- 
offering.  Not  to  be  ungracious,  he  roused  himself  to 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    159 

a  show  of  interest.  "Couldn't  make  her!  Surely 
you  weren't  so  cruel  as  to  try?" 

"Here's  your  hanky,"  she  said,  tossing  the  moist, 
scrunched  ball  across  to  him.  "Cruel!  We  didn't 
mean  to  be  cruel.  I  suppose  we  were.  She  used  to 
ask  us  to  try.  There  was  a  game  we  played;  we 
called  it  Christian  Martyrs.  She  was  always  the 
martyr;  she  liked  it.  All  she  ever  did  when  we  hurt 
her  was  to  say,  'Do  it  harder;  I  can  bear  more  than 
that.'  She  was  as  proud  then  as  she  is  to-day  of  all 
that  she  could  bear.  I  think  that's  what  made  her 
husband  furious.  She  seemed  always  to  be  saying 
to  him,  'Do  it  harder,'  and  he  certainly  did.  But 
neither  he  nor  any  one  else  has  ever  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  her  cry." 

Tabs  glanced  at  the  aloof  beauty  of  the  painted 
face — it  was  like  the  face  of  a  Roman  Empress,  so 
proudly  secure  in  its  serenity.  "Make  her  cry !  Why 
should  any  one  want  to  make  her  cry?  To  do  that 
would  be  a  kind  of  blasphemy." 

"That's  why,"  Maisie  clasped  her  hands  eagerly. 
"You've  said  it  for  me  exactly.  I've  never  known 
how  to  put  it.  It's  the  holiness  of  God  that  tempts 
men  to  revile  Him.  He  evades  them,  outlasts  them 
and  yet  compels  their  affection.  They  have  no  power 
over  Him  and  can't  destroy  Him,  though  they  can 
destroy  everything  else  in  the  world.  What  a  man 
loves  and  has  no  power  over,  he  longs  to  destroy; 
either  that,  or  to  drag  it  down  to  his  own  level,  so 
that  he  can  get  his  arms  round  it  and  comfort  its 
weakness  and  hug  it  to  his  breast.  It  was  that  way 
with  Di  and  her  husband.  He  couldn't  drag  her 


160      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

down.  He  couldn't  find  her  weakness.  She  was  al 
ways  up  there.  So  he  reviled  her." 

A  silence  fell  between  them.  They  stared  at  each 
other  across  the  room's  breadth,  finding  each  in  the 
other  something1  at  the  same  time  intimate  and  incom 
prehensible  ;  each  feeling  that  they  stood  on  the  verge 
of  a  discovery.  It  was  Tabs  who  spoke. 

"Was!     Then  he's  dead?" 

She  barely  nodded.  "Killed  at  the  Somme,  poor 
fellow.  He  must  have  hated  her  to  the  end.  In 
everything  else  he  was  large  and  splendid." 

"And  his  name?" 

Again  Tabs  was  striving  to  remember  where  he 
had  seen  the  unknown  woman's  face.  He  had  seen 
it — of  that  he  was  certain.  He  had  the  sense  that 
the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  seen  it  had  been 
tragic.  If  he  could  only  make  Maisie  reveal  the 
name,  he  might  recall. 

VII 

"His  name  was  Lord  Dawn."  Seeing  the  instant 
puckering  cf  his  brows,  she  asked  quickly,  "You 
knew  him?" 

"Knew  him !"  Tabs  pondered  the  question.  "I'm 
not  sure.  But  Lady  Dawn — I've  heard  a  good  deal 
about  her.  She  had  a  nursing  unit  in  France,  didn't 
she?  Of  course  she  had;  you  and  Terry  were  with 
her.  It  was  in  her  hospital  that  Terry  met  Braith- 
waite.  She  passed  me  yesterday,  driving  with  the 
Queen  in  the  Park;  not  that  I  noticed  her.  It  was 
Terry  who  did  that.''  He  came  slowly  over  from  the 
window  to  the  fireplace  and  stood  gazing  level  with 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE     161 

the  picture  above  the  mantelpiece.  He  spoke  won- 
deringly,  "The  most  beautiful  woman  in  England, 
they  say !  So  this  is  Lady  Dawn !" 

When  he  had  finished  his  inspection,  his  interest 
and  absorption  were  so  great  that  he  did  what  he  had 
vowed  he  would  never  do  again — he  sat  down  for  a 
second  time  on  the  couch  beside  her. 

"There's  something  wrong,"  he  said  quietly. 
"Either  you're  misinformed  or  I'm  mistaken.  Let's 
get  things  straight." 

She  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  her  amusement. 
She  attributed  his  seriousness  to  sudden  infatuation 
— an  infatuation  which  made  him  seem  ridiculously 
inconstant  after  his  recent  professions  concerning 
Terry. 

"Something  wrong!'*  she  echoed  mockingly.  "If 
you  think  that  I've  exaggerated  anything  that  I've 
told  you  about "  She  glanced  up  at  the  por 
trait.  "I  don't  think  I'm  likely  to  be  misinformed. 
After  all,  I'm  her " 

"I  didn't  mean  that,"  he  interrupted  impatient1^. 
"I  was  referring  to  Lord  Dawn.  If  he's  the  same 
man,  I  think  both  you  and  she  have  misjudged  him." 

Maisie  laughed.  "Lord  Dawn  was  sufficiently  defi 
nite.  I'm  not  misjudging  him.  He  left  no  room  for 
mis  judgment." 

"But  you  said  that  he  had  died  hating  her." 

"He  did,  as  far  as  we  know.  He  gave  no  sign  to 
the  contrary." 

"But  does  she,  Lady  Dawn,  think  that?" 

"Think  that  he  hated  her?" 

"No,  that  he  died  hating  her?" 


162      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Maisie  picked  up  a  cigarette  from  the  table  and 
looked  to  Tabs  for  a  match.  She  was  getting  bored. 
"Why,  certainly.  One  doesn't  want  to  be  cynical,  but 
all  the  deaths  on  the  casualty-lists  weren't  total 
losses.  Some  of  them  were  releases.  They  weren't 
all — well,  to  put  it  mildly,  occasions  for  wearing 
the  deepest  mourning.  There  were  English  wives  to 
whom  German  shells  were  merciful — more  merciful 
than  English  law.  If  they  took  lives,  there  were 
cases  in  which  they  restored  freedom." 

As  Tabs  struck  a  match  and  held  it  to  her  ciga 
rette,  his  hand  trembled.  He  had  to  steady  his  pas 
sion  before  he  asked  his  question.  "And  you  think 
that  she,  Lady  Dawn,  was  one  of  these?" 

Maisie  blew  out  a  lazy  puff  of  smoke.  "Every 
body  thinks  so."  Then  she  added  pointedly,  "Every 
body  who  knows  her  and  has  a  right  to  an  opinion." 

Tabs  refused  to  be  put  off.  There  was  a  polite 
forbearance  in  his  tone  when  he  spoke.  "The  first 
thing  to  do  is  to  make  sure  that  my  Dawn  was  the 
SMTIC  as  yours.  Mine  was  known  to  us  by  no  title; 
he  was  a  Captain  in  the  same  battalion  as  myself. 
He  was  killed  in  front  of  Pozieres. — Ah,  I  see  by  the 
way  you  start,  that  so  was  yours !  But  here's  where 
the  difference  comes  in ;  mine  loved  his  wife,  if  she 
was  his  wife,  more  dearly  than  any  man  I  have 
known.  His  devotion  was  the  talk  of  the  regiment." 

She  flipped  the  ash  off  her  cigarette.  "Then  that 
puts  him  out  of  the  running,  doesn't  it?" 

It  was  the  studied  carelessness  of  her  gesture  that 
released  the  trigger  of  his  indignation  and  made  it 
leap  out  beyond  control.  There  was  in  his  mind  the 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    163 

vision  of  those  blood-baths  of  the  Somme,  where 
men  had  drowned  in  the  putrescence  and  been  flat 
tened  by  shells  like  flies  against  a  wall.  They  hadn't 
all  been  good  before  they  had  reached  their  ordeal. 
They  had  come,  as  most  men  come,  from  every  kind 
of  prison-house  of  lust  and  human  error.  But  they'd 
been  good  when  they  had  died.  They'd  been  reborn 
into  valor  and  tenderness.  And  now,  to  hear  their 
imperfections  discussed  in  this  pleasant  room,  so  en 
tirely  feminine,  where  everything  was  safe  and  warm ! 
Their  imperfections  were  so  small  as  compared  with 
their  sacrifice.  Modern-day  Christs,  that's  what  they 
were !  Christs  by  the  thousands,  who  had  found  no 
Josephs  of  Arimathea  to  hide  their  defilement  in 
garden-sepulchres.  There  they  lay  at  this  moment 
in  the  wilderness  of  corruption  where  they  had  fallen, 
while  living  people  between  puffs  of  cigarettes,  under 
took  to  explain  why  they  should  not  be  regretted. 

"Puts  him  out  of  the  running!     It  doesn't." 

He  leapt  to  his  feet  and  commenced  to  drag  him 
self  up  and  down  the  room,  limping  backwards  and 
forwards,  while  she  pressed  lazily  against  the  cush 
ions  at  a  loss  to  account  for  his  excitement. 

"It  doesn't,"  he  repeated,  pausing  opposite  to 
her.  "He's  still  in  the  running.  The  Dawn  whom 
I  knew  was  a  very  silent  man.  He  was  a  man  with 
a  sorrow.  It  made  him  careless.  He  was  in  the  war 
to  die.  We  all  knew  it.  The  men  adored  him  because 
of  it.  He  was  the  finest  officer  in  the  finest  of  bat 
talions." 

He   became   aware   that  he  was   frightening  her 


164      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

and  sank  his  voice.  The  lowered  tone  only  made 
what  he  said  the  more  dreadfully  impressive. 

"There  was  something  funny  about  him."  He  all 
but  whispered  it.  "Something  funny  that  we  couldn't 
understand.  We  couldn't  understand  why  he  should 
want  so  much  to  die.  The  reason  why  we  couldn't 
understand  was  a  woman's  photograph.'* 

She  looked  up  at  him  timidly.    "Yes !" 

"Wherever  he  went  he  carried  it.  When  he  went 
into  an  attack,  he  carried  it  next  his  heart.  In 
billets  he  slept  with  it  beneath  his  pillow.  He  pinned 
it  against  the  walls  of  dug-outs.  That  was  where  I 
saw  it.  I  remember  now.  It  was  smeared  with  the 
mud  of  a  hundred  trenches — Boche  trenches  as  well 
as  ours.  It  looked  down  on  curious  sights,  did  that 
woman's  printed  face  in  the  photo."  He  laughed 
harshly.  "Sights  that  those  of  us  who  were  there 
will  spend  the  rest  of  our  lives  in  an  effort  to  forget. 

And  here  you  and  I  sit  and  talk Well,  as  I  was 

saying,  we  couldn't  fathom  why  he  should  be  so  keen 
on  death  when  there  was  that  woman  in  the  world 
for  whom  he  cared — for  whom  he  cared  right  up  to 
the  last.  It  was  at  the  Somme,  in  the  attack  on 
Pozieres,  that  he  went  west.  He  was  in  command  of 
a  company  that  got  cut  off.  When  we  found  him, 
he  had  that  bit  of  cardboard  so  tightly  clasped  that 
we  couldn't  take  it  from  him." 

He  paused,  suddenly  exhausted.  His  indignation 
had  burnt  itself  out.  "I'm  tired,"  he  apologized. 
"I'm  afraid  I  let  myself  get  out  of  hand.  I  scared 
you  for  a  moment.  I'm  sorry.  Do  you  mind  if  I 
sit  down?" 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    165 

She  pushed  the  table  back  to  make  it  easier  for 
him  to  take  a  place  beside  her.  "It's  all  right,"  she 
consoled  him.  "I  know  that  you're  only  just  out  of 
hospital.  Terry  told  me.  You're  not  really  recov 
ered  yet.  Besides,  it  was  my  fault;  I  spoke  lightly. 
I  wasn't  thinking  what  I  said.  But  I  don't  feel 
lightly  about  these  things.  I  couldn't."  Then  she 
said  something  which  struck  him  oddly.  "You  know 
my  man's  out  there." 

What  did  she  mean  by  her  man?  If  she  had  said 
her  men,  he  could  have  comprehended.  She  had  lost 
three  husbands  in  the  war.  But  why  did  she  par 
ticularize  and  say,  "My  man"?  It  seemed  cruel  to 
the  rest.  And  which  of  the  three  was  it  that  she 
regarded  as  so  peculiarly  hers. 

He  jerked  his  thoughts  back.  "There  was  some 
thing  you  told  me  about  Lord  Dawn ;  you  said  it 
explained  him.  How  did  it  go?  I  think  you  said 
that  he  hated  his  wife  as  men  hate  God,  because  they 
love  Him  so  much  and  yet  He  won't  come  down. 
Well,  out  there  it  wasn't  like  that.  Dawn  climbed 
up  to  her;  yes,  and  perhaps  beyond  her.  Out  there 
he  didn't  need  to  pretend  to  hate  her ;  he  could  afford 
to  love  her  without  loss  of  self-respect.  I  suppose 
he  thought  it  was  too  late  to  tell  her  after  all  that 
had  gone  before." 

"Either  that,"  Maisie  assented,  "or  else It 

would  be  like  him.  Or  else  because  he  was  too  much 
of  a  sportsman.  As  it  was,  if  he  were  killed,  she 
wouldn't  need  to  be  sorry.  But  if  he  wrote  her  that 
he  loved  her  and  had  always  loved  her,  and  then  got 


166     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

killed Don't  you  see,  that's  where  her  remorse 

would  start?" 

Tabs  nodded.  "And  yet  she  was  his  last  thought. 
She  ought  to  know  it.  It's  monstrous  that  she  should 

go  on  believing "    He  broke  off.    And  then,  "She 

must    be    told.      It's    merest    justice — whatever    it 
costs." 

VIII 

The  light  had  been  failing  while  they  had  talked. 
A  tap  fell  on  the  door.  Coming  at  that  moment 
when  their  nerves  were  jangled,  it  sounded  ominous. 
Their  heads  turned  sharply.  Maisie's  voice  was  un 
steady  when  she  asked,  "What  is  it?  What  do  you 
want?" 

"It's  Porter,  Madam.    Dinner  is  served." 

"Oh,  come  in,  Porter.  Have  you  laid  a  place  for 
Lord  Taborley?" 

As  the  maid  entered,  Tabs  rose.  "I  had  no 

idea Why,  I've  been  here  for  hours.  I  really 

must  apologize,  Mrs.  Lockwood,  and  be  going." 

However  much  his  reception  had  been  prearranged, 
dinner  had  formed  no  part  of  the  program.  The 
slightly  puzzled  expression  on  Maisie's  watch-dog's 
face  betrayed  that  fact  to  him  at  a  glance. 

Maisie  laid  an  arresting  hand  on  his  arm.  To  the 
maid  she  said  cheerfully,  "It's  all  right,  Porter; 
Lord  Taborley  is  sta37ing." 

As  Porter  was  making  her  exit,  he  commenced 
again  to  protest.  Maisie  silenced  his  objections  by 
leaning  against  him  warningly.  "You've  talked  of 
everything  except  me,"  she  whispered ;  "it  was  about 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    167 

me  you  came  to  talk.  You  must  before  we  part." 
Following  her  across  the  hall  to  the  dining-room, 
he  reflected  on  her  ability  for  getting  him  into  deeper 
and  yet  deeper  water.  He  had  the  feeling  that  he 
was  being  led  somewhere  against  his  will — somewhere 
that  might  be  for  his  good  or  for  his  harm,  but  which 
would  inevitably  cut  him  off  from  many  of  his  old 
affections.  He  had  the  discomforting  sense  that  he 
was  doing  something  disloyal  to  Terry.  Heaven 
knew  what  promises  might  not  be  exacted  from  him 
before  the  evening  ended.  When  would  it  end?  He 
would  have  to  stay  for  at  least  an  hour  after  coffee 
— that  would  bring  him  to  nine  o'clock.  Sir  Tobias 
Bcddow  would  have  been  expecting  him  long  before 
that  to  deliver  his  account  of  the  result  of  his  mis 
sion.  Furthermore,  Sir  Tobias  would  be  demanding 
an  explanation  as  to  how  it  was  that,  having  asked 
for  Terry's  hand  the  night  before,  he  was  still  un 
engaged  to  her.  If  he  postponed  the  interview  till 
to-morrow,  it  would  create  the  appearance  of  luke- 
warmness.  He  couldn't  very  well  excuse  himself  by 
saying  that  he'd  spent  the  afternoon  and  evening 
with  Maisie.  And  he  couldn't  get  Maisie  to  let  him 
off  on  the  plea  that  Sir  Tobias,  her  harshest  critic, 
was  waiting  for  him.  Besides,  he  had  accomplished 
nothing  as  yet;  Adair  Easterduy  had  not  been  men 
tioned. 

If  ever  he  made  good  his  escape,  he  prayed  that  he 
might  never  again  encounter  a  woman  possessed  of 
charm.  His  paramount  desire  was  to  seize  his  hat 
and  make  a  furtive  exit.  There  was  nothing  to  pre 
vent  him  but  the  politeness  due  from  a  man  to  a 


168      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

woman — and  she  traded  on  it.  As  he  passed  into  the 
dining-room  he  was  secretly  on  his  guard.  "I  won 
der  what  she'll  do  next  to  inveigle  me?"  was  his 
thought. 

"It'll  be  only  a  little  dinner,"  she  explained  as  they 
seated  themselves.  "You  weren't  expected.  But 
Porter  always  has  something  hidden  away  for  an 
emergency.  Don't  you,  Porter?" 

He  was  getting  accustomed  to  these  asides  ad 
dressed  to  Porter.  He  began  to  perceive  that  Porter 
had  other  uses  besides  gliding  round  the  table  in  a 
cap  and  apron.  She  was  a  conversational  stop-gap 
when  situations  grew  awkward,  as  they  frequently 
must  between  an  ensnared  bachelor  and  an  unchap- 
eroned  widow. 

And  she  was  eligible ;  he  had  to  own  it  as  they  sat 
down  to  their  first  meal  together.  Tea  hadn't 
counted  as  a  meal;  you  can  serve  tea  to  anybody. 
But  dinner  for  two,  in  an  oak-paneled  room,  when 
the  spring  dusk  is  falling  is  different.  The  table  was 
lit  by  four  naked  candles.  Looped  back  from  the 
windows  hung  the  marigold-tinted  curtains,  revealing 
in  triangular  patches  the  courtyard,  with  its  mock 
village-green  and  its  quaintly  timbered  houses.  It 
looked  very  real  in  the  half-light.  An  electric  street- 
lamp  stood  out  sharply  against  the  fading  sky, 
placid  and  contemplative  as  an  unclouded  moon. 
Several  houses  away  a  woman  was  singing.  Some 
times  her  voice  sank  so  that  he  lost  the  air;  but 
once,  when  it  rose,  he  caught  the  words,  "Crushing 
out  life,  than  waving  me  farewell."  He  knew  what 
she  was  singing  then  and  followed  the  air  in  his 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE     169 

imagination.  The  atmosphere  of  the  room  was 
vibrant  with  romance;  all  that  was  lacking  was  his 
impulse  to  be  romantic. 

Maisie  was  chattering  gayly  and  forestalling  his 
wants.  He  reserved  a  small  portion  of  his  mind  for 
her  conversation — sufficient  to  enable  him  to  reply 
"Yes"  or  "No"  when  the  occasion  seemed  to  demand 
it.  It  was  clear  to  him  that  it  made  her  happy  to 
have  a  man  so  entirely  at  her  mercy.  She  meant 
immensely  well  by  him.  Behind  her  mist  of  words 
she  seemed  to  be  saying,  "Isn't  it  nice  to  be  just  we 
two  together?" 

But  he  was  thinking  of  the  other  three  soldier-men 
who  had  played  the  game  of  being  "just  we  two 
together"  before  him.  The  singing  voice,  drifting 
through  the  courtyard,  put  into  words  the  question 
of  his  thought,  "Where  are  you  now?  Where  are 
you  now?"  Yes,  where  were  they? 

He  felt  pity  and  distaste  for  Maisie  in  equal  pro 
portions.  Those  men  had  each  in  turn  caressed  her, 
dipped  their  hands  in  the  largesse  of  her  pale  gold 
hair,  seen  their  souls'  reflection  in  the  cornflower 
innocence  of  her  eyes,  drunk  forgetfulness  from  the 
poppy-petals  of  her  mouth  and  gone  away  to  die, 
believing  she  was  wholly  theirs.  How  little  of  her 
was  theirs  now !  She  was  almost  virginal — as  though 
she  had  never  been  touched  by  their  passion.  And 
yet  there  seemed  to  be  one  of  them  whose  memory 
had  outstayed  the  rest,  for  she  had  said,  "You  know, 
my  man's  out  there."  Was  she  merely  a  light,  preda 
tory  woman  or •  Or  very  loving  and  lonely? 

She    was    speaking    more    seriously    now.     "We 


170     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

mustn't  tell  her.  It's  natural  to  be  sorry  for  him 
now  that  he's  dead."  He  picked  up  the  thread  and 
guessed  that  she  was  referring  to  Lord  Dawn. 

"We  must  tell  her,"  he  said. 

"But  we  mustn't,"  she  urged.  "For  years  he  tried 
to  make  her  wretched.  There  were  rumors  of  other 
women.  She's  found  peace  at  last.  It  wouldn't  help 
him  to  let  her  know  that  he  had  died  loving  her  out 
there.  Pie's  beyond  any  help  of  ours.  They  all  are." 
He  surmised  who  the  they  were:  the  three  soldier- 
men  who  had  sat  there  before  him.  In  pleading  for 
silence  for  others,  she  was  pleading  for  silence  for 
herself.  Again  she  was  defending  herself  against 
his  thoughts.  "All  of  the  dead  had  their  chance. 
Lord  Dawn  had ;  there  were  so  many  years  in  which 
he  might  have  told  her.  To  tell  her  now  would  be  to 
rob " 

She  broke  off  as  the  maid  reentered  with  the 
coffee.  Her  tone  changed  instantly  to  one  of  con 
vention.  "Not  here,  Porter.  We'll  have  it  in  the 
drawing-room." 

As  he  followed  her  out  across  the  hall,  he  glanced 
at  his  watch.  It  was  past  eight  o'clock.  He  could 
lose  no  more  time.  He  must  plunge  boldly  into  the 
subject  of  his  mission  and  bring  his  visit  promptly 
to  an  end.  He  dreaded  the  temptation  of  that  fem 
inine  room,  with  its  coziness  and  security  and  quiet. 
It  made  him  too  much  alone  with  her;  she  was  not 
a  woman  that  it  was  wise  to  be  alone  with  too  long. 

The  moment  the  maid  had  left  them  and  the  door 
had  closed,  he  became  confirmed  in  the  sanity  of  this 
decision.  Everything  in  the  room  appealed  to  him 


THE  COMPLICATIONS  OF  MAISIE    171 

to  procrastinate.  The  curtains  before  the  French 
windows  were  closely  drawn.  The  hearth  had  been 
swept  in  their  absence ;  the  fire  glowed  more  compan- 
ionably  than  ever.  About  the  table,  where  the  coffee 
waited,  a  solitary  lamp  shed  a  golden  blur.  It  was 
heavily  shaded  with  yellow  silk,  so  that  most  of 
its  light  escaped  their  faces  and  fell  downwards. 

She  had  seated  herself  on  the  couch.  When  she 
had  filled  both  cups,  she  glanced  up  at  him  smilingly, 
patting  the  vacant  place  beside  her  as  a  sign  that 
he  should  occupy  it.  He  was  standing  before  the 
fire,  looking  immensely  tall  in  the  semi-darkness.  He 
could  see  her  plainly  where  she  sat  beneath  the 
lamp ;  but  of  him  she  could  see  nothing  but  his  out 
line,  for  his  eyes  were  lost  in  shadow.  When  he 
seemed  not  to  have  noticed  her  sign,  "Come,"  she 
said  coaxingly.  "You  don't  spare  yourself  at  all. 
You  make  yourself  tired  by  so  much  standing." 

"Mrs.  Lockwood "  She  started  as  he  called 

her  that.  Twice  already  she  had  been  Maisie  to  him. 
"Mrs.  Lockwood,  as  you  reminded  me  before  dinner, 
it  was  about  you  that  I  came  here  to  talk.  Let's  get 
it  over.  I  haven't  any  idea  how  far  things  have 
gone.  I  should  like  to  believe  that  nine-tenths  of 
what's  said  is  nothing  more  than  gossip.  But  why 
can't  you  let  him  alone?  He  may  mean  nothing  or 
a  tremendous  lot  to  you — but  why  can't  you?" 


CHAPTER  THE  FIFTH 

THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST 


SHE  sat  very  silently,  the  way  he  had  seen  men 
sit  when  they  were  wounded.  She  had  been  ex 
pecting  the  blow  and  trying  to  postpone  it;  now 
that  it  had  fallen  her  only  feeling  was  one  of  peace 
because  the  expecting  was  ended.  Her  face  remained 
turned  towards  him,  as  it  had  been  while  he  had  been 
talking.  As  though  a  mask  had  dropped,  the  real, 
very  tired,  very  young,  very  lonely  Maisie  watched 
him.  The  wistfulness  of  her  beauty  surprised  and 
touched  him.  Several  times  her  lips  moved  in  an 
attempt  to  say  something.  Then,  at  last,  "What 
right  have  you  to  ask  ?" 

"I  should  like  to  claim  the  right  of  friendship.'* 
"Of  friendship !"  She  frowned  slightly,  peering 
from  beneath  the  lamp  in  an  effort  to  make  out  his 
features.  Then  her  eyes  cleared  and  she  smiled. 
"If  you  don't  mean  it,  please  don't  say  it.  You  see, 
it  would  hurt  afterwards.  And — and  I  should  like 
to  have  you  for  my  friend." 

He  came  over  from  the  fireplace  and  seated  him 
self  beside  her.  "We've  been  almost  enemies — just  a 
little  afraid  of  each  other.  Isn't  that  so  ?  It's  ever 

172 


"Mrs.  Lockwood,  why  cant  you  let  Adau  alone?' 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  173 

so  much  more  comfortable  now ;  we'll  be  able  to  talk 
more  easily.  Tell  me  honestly,  what  do  you  see  in 
Adair?" 

"See  in  him!'' 

She  commenced  sipping  her  coffee.  She  looked  ex 
traordinarily  like  Terry  used  to  do  years  ago,  when 
she  was  a  little  lass  and  had  been  naughty,  and  had 
come  reluctantly  to  ask  pardon.  He  thought  that 
if  he  went  on  talking  he  might  make  it  easier  for 
her. 

"You'll  wonder  vrhy  I,  who  never  knew  you  until 
to-day,  should  have  taken  upon  myself  to  broach 
this  subject." 

"I  don't  wonder,"  she  headed  him  off.  "I  know. 
Terry's  my  friend.  Her  father  was  determined  to 
send  somebody,  so  she  worked  things  in  order  that 
you  might  be  sent.  She  thought  that  you  would  be 
the  kindest  person." 

"She  thought  that !"  Tabs  was  a  little  taken  back 
by  her  assertion ;  it  seemed  to  pledge  him  to  kindness 
before  he  had  learnt  whether  kindness  was  required 
or  deserved.  It  made  him  in  a  sense  her  partisan, 
when  he  ought  to  have  been  impartial. 

"I  think  I  can  be  trusted  to  be  kind,"  he  said; 
"but  you  must  remember  that  I've  got  to  be  kind  all 
round.  I  must  be  kind  to  Adair's  wife  and  to  his 
children.  If  this  goes  much  further  it  will  spell 
tragedy  for  them." 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  laughed  without 
mirth.  "Adair's  wife  should  have  remembered  to  be 
kind  to  herself.  If  a  woman  can't  keep  her  husband, 
she  never  deserved  to  have  won  him.  And  Adair — 


174  KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

he's  the  easiest  man  to  keep  in  the  world;  far  too 
easy  to  be  exciting.  If  she  doesn't  lose  him  to  me, 

she'll  lose  him  to  some  one  else,  unless "  And 

then  she  surprised  him,  "But  she  won't  lose  him  to 
me,  for  I  don't  want  him." 

Tabs  sighed  with  relief  and  lit  himself  a  cigarette. 
"Then  that's  settled.  If  you  don't  want  him,  the 
trouble's  ended,  and  I  think  Sir  Tobias  and  all  of 
us  owe  you  an  apology." 

Again  she  laughed.  This  time  some  of  her  old 
mischief  had  come  back.  "You  go  too  fast,  Lord 
Taborley.  I  shouldn't  advise  any  of  you  to  apolo 
gize  to  me  yet.  It's  true  that  I  don't  want  him  for 
keeps,  but — 

Tabs  guessed  the  way  the  ground  lay  and  went 
back  to  the  question  with  which  he  had  started. 
"What  on  earth  do  you  see  in  him?  That's  what 
I  can't  make  out." 

She  kept  him  waiting  for  his  answer.  While  he 
waited,  like  sunshine  struggling  through  cloud, 
amused  happiness  fought  its  way  into  her  expression. 
When  she  turned,  she  met  his  gaze  with  complete 
candor.  She  was  again  a  woman  of  the  world. 
"What  do  I  see  in  him?  Not  much — only  a  make 
shift,  a  second  best.  Only  a  man  who  needs  me  for 
the  moment  because  he's  lost  his  direction.  You 
remember  our  conversation  of  this  afternoon  about 
having  to  feel  that  you  were  needed.  He  gives  me 
that  feeling,  so  I'm  grateful.  That's  why  I  have  to 
have  him." 

"Are  you  so  lonely  as  to  stoop — well,  to  steal  to 
get  it?" 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  175 

He  was  sorry  he  had  asked  it.  She  bit  her  lip  in 
an  effort  to  keep  back  the  tears  and  to  force  her 
self  to  go  on  brightly  smiling.  "Yes,  as  lonely  as 
all  that,"  she  nodded;  "so  lonely  that  it's  almost  a 
joke." 

"No  joke."  He  was  at  a  loss  what  to  say.  "But 
you  have  friends.  You  go  everywhere.  You " 

"Friends !"  she  interrupted,  laughing  with  the 
high-pitched  note  of  breaking  nerves.  "What  are 
friends?  People  to  whom  you  say,  'How  d'you  do?' 
here  and  'How  d'you  do?'  there,  every  one  of  whom 
can  do  without  you.  I  want  some  one  who  can't  do 

without  me  for  a  second No  joke,  you  said. 

But  it  is  almost  a  joke  to  be  young,  and  eager,  and 
good-looking,  and  to  know  how  to  dress,  and  to  be  so 
willing  to  love,  and  to  live  in  the  world  just  once, 
and  to  hear  the  world  go  by  you  laughing,  and  to 
desire  so  much,"  she  paused  for  breath,  "and  to  want 
to  give  so  much  that  no  one  is  willing  to  accept. 
If  one  didn't  laugh  over  it,  it  would  be  more  than 
one  could  stand.  If  one  didn't  treat  it  as  a 
joke " 

He  caught  her  hands.  "Steady,  Mrs.  Lockwood. 
Stop  laughing  at  once.  There's  nothing  to  laugh 
about.  You're  nearly  over  the  edge." 

She  stared  at  him  with  wide  eyes,  filled  with  panic, 
while  little  ripples  of  laughter  kept  escaping  from 
her,  which  she  did  her  best  to  suppress. 

"Now,  listen  to  me,"  he  continued  quietly: 
"You're  not  exceptional.  You've  been  expressing 
something  that  there's  not  a  man  or  woman  that 
hasn't  felt.  I  feel  it  when  I  realize  that  I  may  lose 


176     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Terry ;  so  does  Braithwaite.  Lord  Dawn  felt  it  when 
he  couldn't  drag  his  wife  down  to  him  and  couldn't 
climb  up  to  her.  And  his  wife  must  have  felt  it  too, 
when  she  sat  always  by  herself.  Phyllis  feels  it 
when  she  sees  that,  for  the  moment,  you  have  more 
attraction  for  her  husband  than  she  has.  And  Adair 
feels  it  as  well,  when  he  risks  his  good  name  for  a 
little  desperate  comfort  and  is  willing  to  clothe  you, 
for  whom  he  professes  to  care,  with  all  the  appear 
ance  of  dishonor.  You're  no  exception ;  it's  the  feel 
ing  that  you  are  exceptional  that  makes  you  un 
scrupulous  in  your  self-pity.  Get  that  into  your 
head,  that  you're  not  exceptional.  Half  the  world's 
with  you  in  the  same  box;  but  it  smiles  and  doesn't 
own  it.  Have  you  got  that  ?" 

She  nodded  and  tried  to  withdraw  her  hands;  but 
he  held  them  fast. 

"And  now  as  regards  this  desire  to  be  wanted; 
that's  perfectly  right  and  natural.  There's  nobody 
who  doesn't  share  it.  And  I  understand  what  you 
say  about  mere  friendship.  It's  unsatisfying  and  im 
permanent.  It's  like  a  meal  snatched  at  a  restau 
rant  ;  none  of  the  dishes  or  napkins  or  tables  or 
chairs  belong  to  you.  They've  been  used  by  other 
people  before  you  and  they'll  be  used  by  other  people 
the  moment  your  bill  is  settled.  What  you  want 
and  what  every  one  wants,  is  something  more  than 
friendship — a  human  relation  with  one  person  who 
is  so  much  yours  that  your  intimacies  are  a  secret 
from  all  the  world." 

"Some  one  with  whom  I  can  be  little,"  she  whis 
pered,  "and  foolish  and  off  my  guard." 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  177 

He  smiled.  "That's  it  exactly.  But  you  *von't 
get  that  sort  of  relationship  with  a  man  who  belongs 
already  to  another  woman." 

"One  gets  the  pretense." 

He  shook  his  head.  "Not  even  the  pretense. 
There  was  a  phrase  you  used  about  Adair;  you  said 
he'd  lost  his  direction.  That's  true;  he  has  for  the 
moment.  Presently  he'll  refind  it  and  the  road  leads 
back  to  Phyllis.  You  said  something  else:  you 
called  him  a  second  best.  That's  all  he  is,  however 
you  take  him,  whether  as  a  husband,  a  father  or  a 
lover.  He  lacks  earnestness ;  he  has  always  lacked 
it.  I've  been  his  friend  for  years  ;  his  flabbiness  sticks 
out  all  over  him.  But  you're  not  a  second  best, 
Mrs.  Lockwood.  You're  a  top-notcher — too  fine  for 
anything  but  the  best.  You  really  are.  You  ought 
to  set  a  higher  value  on  yourself." 

She  had  regained  her  composure.  He  showed  a 
willingness  to  release  her  hands,  but  she  let  them 
rest  where  they  were  like  tired  birds,  while  she  re 
garded  him  with  wistful  kindness. 

"Too  fine  for  anything  but  the  best !  It's  a  long 
while  since  I  heard  any  one  say  that.  Reggie  used 
to  say  it  in  almost  those  very  words.  But  then 
Reggie,"  she  caught  her  breath  at  the  remembered 
ecstasy,  "Reggie  used  to  think  that  the  sun  rose  and 
set  for  me.  He  was  different  from  all  other  men. 
You  advise  me  to  reserve  myself  for  the  best.  How 
can  I  do  that,  Lord  Taborley,  when  the  best  is  in 
the  past?" 

She  was  very  beautiful  in  the  simplicity  of  her 
pathos — one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  he  had  ever 


178      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

met.  She  had  become  a  little  child  for  the  moment 
and  her  littleness  was  baffling.  He  felt  extraordi 
narily  near  to  her  and  alone  with  her.  There  was 
no  longer  any  danger  in  their  aloneness.  He  realized 
why  it  was  that  she  was  able  to  give  away  so  much 
of  herself;  there  was  no  value  in  the  gift,  for  her 
heart  was  beyond  the  capture  of  any  man.  She  was 
the  shuttered  house  of  a  vanished  happiness,  in 
habited  by  a  restless  ghost.  The  gold  light  from 
the  lamp  fell  in  a  pool  about  her.  It  revealed 
startlingly  the  whiteness  of  her  arms  and  throat,  the 
blueness  of  her  eyes  and  the  primrose  gleam  of  her 
polished  head.  She  seemed  insubstantial  as  a  dream, 
environed  by  shadows.  And  what  did  she  mean  by 
saying  that  all  her  best  lay  in  the  past?  Surely 
she  had  misjudged!  With  her  power  of  charm  she 
could  build  her  world  to  any  pattern. 

"The  best  in  the  past !  None  of  us  know  enough 
about  the  future  to  say  that.  The  best  lies  ahead — 
always.  To  believe  that  brings  our  best  within  our 
grasp." 

"For  me  it  can't."  She  spoke  hopelessly.  "No 
believing  can  do  that  when  your  best  is  dead.'* 

The  finality  of  her  despair  silenced  him.  He  could 
feel  it  like  fingers  tightening  on  his  throat.  He  real 
ized  in  a  flash  that  this  was  how  he,  too,  would  be 
tempted  to  speak  were  he  to  lose  Terry — that,  hav 
ing  lost  the  best,  any  careless  makeshift  would 
suffice  to  comfort  him.  While  he  considered,  her 
hands  snuggled  closer  in  his  clasp,  establishing  a  new 
sympathy. 

"I  think,"  he  said  at  last,  "even  though  my  best 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  179 

were  dead,  I  should  try  to  go  on  acting  as  if  it  lay 
still  ahead.  If  I  did  that,  round  some  new  turning 
I  might  find  it  waiting  for  me  as  a  kind  of  recom 
pense." 

She  leant  forward,  peering  eagerly  into  his  eyes. 
"Yes.  You  would  do  that.  I'm  sure  of  it.  I  knew 
you  had  something  to  give  me  the  moment  we  met. 
That  was  why  I  wouldn't  let  you  escape  me.  I've 
learnt  the  secret  at  last — the  secret  of  your  air  of 
conquest.  It  isn't  that  you  get  your  desires.  It's 
not  that.  It's  your  belief  that  you  will  get  them 
that  makes  you  strong." 

Somewhere  at  the  back  of  his  head  he  remembered 
the  pleading  of  Delilah  with  Samson,  "Tell  me,  I 
pray  thee,  wherein  thy  great  strength  lieth." 

He  laughed.  "Perhaps  you  have  guessed.  I'm 
what  you  might  call  a  round-the-corner  person.  I 
have  a  philosophy  all  my  own ;  it's  a  round-the-corner 
philosophy.  I  believe  that  we  find  everything  that 
we've  lost  or  longed  for,  if  we'll  only  press  on. 
Everything  that  we've  ever  loved  or  wanted  waits  for 
us  further  up  the  road,  round  some  hidden  turning. 
It's  always  further  up  the  road  and  just  out  of 
sight.  The  whole  trick  of  living  is  to  keep  your 
tail  up  and  march  forward  with  the  appearance  of 
success,  no  matter  how  badly  other  people  say  you've 
been  defeated.  More  often  than  not,  we're  nearer 
our  hidden  corners  than  any  of  us  guess ;  it's  the 
pluck  to  struggle  the  last  hundred  yards  that  swings 
us  round  the  turning  and  wins  our  kingdoms  for 
us." 

She  withdrew  her  hands  and  lay  back  against  the 


180     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

cushions.  "No  amount  of  courage "  She  broke 

off  and  tried  afresh.  "Being  brave  wouldn't  put  him 
again  into  my  arms.  You're  wondering  whom  I'm 
talking  about — Reggie  Pollock,  my  only  husband. 
The  other  two  didn't  count,  any  more  than  Adair 
counts.  I  don't  say  it  unkindly.  I  do  want  you  to 
believe  that.  They  were  passers-by — that  was  all. 
They  hung  their  hats  in  the  hall  and,  somehow,  they 
stopped.  They  were  nice  boys,  both  of  them.  It 
seemed  a  kind  of  war-work  to  let  them  marry  me. 
You  see,  they  needed  me;  so  when  they  said  they 
loved  me,  I  didn't  have  the  heart  to  turn  them  out. 
I  suppose  I  was  too  amiable.  But  they  didn't  count 
—not  at  all." 

"The  war's  over,"  Tabs  reminded  her  with  quiet 
humor.  "How  long  is  this  amiability  going  to  last?" 

She  smiled  dreamily.  "Adair  again !  You  don't 
leave  him  alone  for  long.  If  you  think  that  I  ever 
let  him  make  love  to  me,  you're  mistaken.  It's  only 
that  he's  unhappy  and  I  can  do  something  for  him." 

Tabs  wasn't  at  all  sure  that  it  was  only  that.  This 
fatal  amiability  might  have  raised  quite  different 
expectations  in  Adair.  Like  her  two  latest  husbands, 
he  might  take  a  notion  to  hang  his  hat  in  her  hall. 
If  he  did,  would  she  abate  her  amiability  sufficiently 
to  tell  him  to  hang  it  somewhere  else? 

She  was  drifting;  what  she  needed  was  either  a 
tow-rope  or  a  rudder.  He  sent  his  gaze  questing 
through  the  shadows. 

"Those  five  photographs,  all  of  the  same  man — 
they'rr  of  Pollock?" 

"Yes." 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  181 

"He  was  one  of  the  first  of  all  the  aces,  wasn't  he? 
It  was  he  who  brought  down  the  Zeppelin  over  Brus 
sels  and  went  missing  a  few  days  later.  You  see,  I 
remember  his  record.  He  was  outstandingly  brave 
at  a  time  when  the  world  was  full  of  brave  men. 
And  you  tell  me  he  loved  you?" 

An  expression  of  triumph  flitted  across  her  face. 
"Not  loved."  Her  voice  was  full-throated.  "He 
adored  me,  and  to  me  he  was  a  god  whom  I 
worshiped.  I'd  have  gone  through  hell  for  him. 
I'd " 

"No,  you  wouldn't." 

The  flatness  of  the  contradiction  pulled  her  up 
short.  "No  you  wouldn't,"  he  repeated  quietly. 
"You  wouldn't  even  go  through  this  for  him.  You 
wouldn't  play  the  game  by  him  when  he  was  dead. 
He  always  kept  his  end  up,  whatever  the  odds 
against  him ;  but  you — you  couldn't.  This  was  your 
chance  to  show  that  you  were  worthy  of  him.  While 
he  was  alive,  you  played  a  winning  game ;  it  was  easy 
to  be  true  to  him.  But  he — he  was  stauncher; 
he  was  most  to  be  trusted  when  the  game  seemed 
all  but  lost.  You  ought  to  have  kept  his  spirit  alive 
for  us;  but  you've  understood  so  little  of  his  spirit 
that  you've  been  willing  to  put  any  stranger  in  his 
place — to  quote  your  own  words,  any  stranger  who 
chose  to  hang  his  hat  in  your  hall.  Pollock  was  a 
soldier;  he  didn't  need  to  be  sure  of  victory  to  show 
courage.  It  was  in  tight  corners  that  he  was  at  his 
best.  You're  in  a  tight  corner  now,  and  you're  his 
wife — the  wife  whom  he  didn't  love,  but  adored." 

The  brutal  impact  of  the  truth  had  struck  her 


182     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

dumb  at  first.  Her  lips  had  fallen  apart.  While  she 
had  listened,  her  face  had  gone  white.  Now  that  he 
paused,  she  slipped  back  into  the  cushions,  covering 
her  eyes  with  her  hands.  "For  God's  sake  stop  tor 
turing  me!  Though  you  think  Fm  as  contemptible 
as  that,  don't  say  it.  If  you  must  speak,  tell  me 
what  you  think  I  ought  to  do." 

"Do  !  Until  you  find  a  living  man  who's  his  match, 
carry  on  as  though  he  were  not  dead." 

She  uncovered  her  eyes  and  sat  upright,  staring 
at  him.  "As  though  he  were  not  dead.  But  Reggie 
is  dead.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  he's  dead." 

Tabs  nodded.  "I'm  not  denying  it.  But  for  all 
that,  try  to  live  as  though  he  weren't — as  though 
somewhere  up  the  road,  a  day,  a  week,  a  month,  a 
year  hence  he  would  meet  you  round  the  corner." 

Her  interest  faded  forlornly.  "What  good  would 
that  do?  It  would  only  be  making  believe  with  my 
self." 

He  spoke  gently.  "Yes,  but  games  of  make-believe 
come  true.  You  couldn't  meet  him,  but  you  might 
meet  some  one  his  equal — a  man  who's,  perhaps,  al 
ready  waiting  for  you,  while  you  squander  yourself 
on  makeshifts  and  second  bests." 

The  little  silence  which  had  ended  his  speech 
dragged  on  from  seconds  into  minutes.  In  the  quiet 
room  nothing  stirred.  She  attempted  to  free  herself 
from  his  gaze  by  refusing  to  look  at  him.  Against 
her  will  her  eyes  crept  up  to  his,  clashed,  evaded, 
fell  back  and  again  crept  up  to  them. 

At  last,  speaking  humbly,  she  said,  "I  was 
ashamed.  You  made  me  ashamed.  Whatever  I'd 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  183 

done,  if  he  came  back,  he  wouldn't  be  ashamed  of 
me.  It  wouldn't  matter  how  cowardly  I'd  been  or 
however  many  husbands  I'd  had;  he'd  be  so  glad  to 
have  me  in  his  arms  that  he  wouldn't  find  time  to  be 
ashamed  of  me.  So  I'm  not  going  to  be  ashamed  any 
longer ;  I'm  going  to  start  to  live  as  if  he  were  com 
ing  back.  It'll  be  hard  at  first.  Adair — he  was 
nothing.  And  yet —  I  shall  miss  him,  no  doubt. 
You  said  something  this  afternoon  that  you  didn't 
mean." 

"Didn't  I?    What  was  it?" 

'"It  was  when  I  was  crying  because  nobody  wanted 
me.  Do  you  remember  what  you  said?  You  said, 
'I  do,'  not  meaning  a  word  of  it.  Could  you  manage 
to  want  me  just  a  little,  Lord  Taborley?  Not  for 
long,  you  know ;  only  till  I've  got  past  the  loneliest 
places — till  I've  begun  almost  to  persuade  myself 
that  he  may  come  back.  To  think  that  you  wanted 
me  would  help." 

Before  he  could  answer,  she  had  sprung  to  her 
feet,  all  but  over-turning  the  lamp.  "What's  that?" 

A  sharp  rat-a-tat-tat  had  reverberated  through 
the  house.  While  she  spoke,  it  was  repeated.  Her 
over-strung  nerves  gave  way.  As  Tabs  rose,  she 
clung  to  him  beseechingly.  "Don't  let  him  in.  I'm 
not  ready  for  him.  Don't  let  him  in.  Go  outside  and 
send  him  away.  Tell  him  anything.  But  don't  let 
him  enter." 

Tabs  had  no  clear  idea  to  whom  she  was  referring. 
It  might  have  been  to  Adair.  It  might  have  been  to 
Pollock.  It  seemed  more  likely  that  it  was  to  her 
dead  husband.  This  talk  about  living  as  though  he 


184     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

might  come  back  had  probably  distraught  an  imag 
ination  already  over-taxed. 

"He  sha'n't  enter,"  he  assured  her.  "There's  no 
need  to  lose  your  nerve." 

As  he  passed  into  the  hall,  he  heard  the  starchy 
approach  of  Porter.  He  waited  and  halted  her  with, 
"Mrs.  Lockwood  asked  me  to  answer  it." 

When  he  had  watched  her  retreat  and  vanish,  he 
advanced  towards  the  door.  Who  was  it  out  there 
in  the  darkness  whose  knock  had  power  to  strike 
such  terror?  It  was  a  terror  the  excitement  of  which 
he  at  least  remotely  shared.  The  thought  crossed 
his  mind,  "Is  it  possible  that  her  longing  could  have 
dragged  him  back?"  He  felt  as  though  in  the  stucco- 
fronted  gloom  of  Mulberry  Court,  Fate  itself  stood 
waiting  for  him  on  the  other  side  of  the  panel.  With 
conscious  bravado  he  stretched  out  his  hand  and  drew 
back  the  latch. 

n 

"Is  it  Mr.  Easterday?" 

It  was  a  woman's  voice  that  asked  the  question — a 
deep  voice,  thrilling  with  emotion,  that  made  him 
wonder  what  it  would  sound  like  with  all  the  stops 
pulled  out.  He  had  opened  the  door  only  a  little 
way,  expecting  that  he  would  have  to  refuse  admit 
tance.  At  the  sound  of  a  woman's  voice,  his  sense  of 
the  conventions  sprang  to  life.  It  must  be  a  good 
deal  past  ten  and  here  he  was  answering  Maisie's 
door  as  though  he  were  her  butler.  The  kind  of 
conclusions  that  could  be  drawn  were  made  plain 
by  the  caller's  question,  "Is  it  Mr.  Easterday?"  To 


185 

be  mistaken  for  Easterday  annoyed  him.  It  was 
tantamount  to  an  accusation.  It  implied  that,  even 
though  he  were  not  Easterday,  the  proprietory  way 
in  which  he  attended  to  other  people's  doors  at  after 
ten  oVlock  put  him  well  within  Easterday's  class. 
Tabs  v.'as  particularly  annoyed  to  hear  himself  ac 
cused  by  a  voice  so  gracious  and  pleasant.  His  sur 
prise  had  evidently  impressed  her  as  furtiveness,  for 
she  said,  "So  it  is  Mr.  Easterday?" 

He  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  her — how  to  turn 
her  away.  For  Maisie's  sake  she  must  not  be  al 
lowed  to  enter,  for  then  she  would  discover  that  they 
had  been  alone.  He  opened  the  door  a  few  inches 
wider  and  parried  to  gain  time.  "If  it's  Mr.  Easter 
day  that  you're  wanting,  you've  made  a  fortunate 
mistake.  This  is  Mrs.  Lockwood's  house.  But  I 
happen  to  know  an  Easterday — an  Adair  Easter 
day;  he's  a  personal  friend.  Perhaps  he's  the  man 
you're  looking  for.  If  so,  I  can  give  you  his  ad 
dress." 

This  sally  was  greeted  with  a  quiet,  rather  mock 
ing  laugh.  He  was  using  his  eyes,  trying  to  form 
an  estimate  of  the  visitor.  She  had  arrived  in  a 
car,  which  he  judged  to  be  private,  for  in  the  light 
reflected  from  the  windshield  he  could  make  out  the 
livery  of  her  chauffeur.  She  was  swathed  in  a  sump 
tuous  wrap  whicli  looked  as  though  it  were  of  sable. 
She  held  it  gathered  closely  about  her,  so  that  it 
fell  in  soft  folds,  revealing  and  at  the  same  time 
concealing  her  figure.  He  was  anxious  to  read  her 
face,  but  the  lower  part  was  snuggled  into  the  fur  of 
the  deep  collar  and  the  upper  part  was  shadowed  by 


186     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

a  broad-brimmed  tulle  hat,  from  which  two  bird  of 
paradise  plumes  spread  back  like  wings  on  the  hel 
met  of  a  viking.  For  the  rest,  she  had  white  kid 
gloves,  which  reached  up  to  her  elbows.  Outside  the 
glove  of  the  left  hand  she  wore  a  bracelet  •  every 
time  she  stirred  the  stones  struck  fire  in  the  semi- 
darkness.  Her  hands  were  very  small.  Peeping  out 
from  below  her  gown,  the  buckles  on  her  high-heeled 
sLoes  twinkled.  She  was  mysterious,  taunting,  and 
strangely  commanding.  As  she  hovered  there  across 
the  threshold,  a  faint  perfume  drifted  up  to  him  like 
the  intoxicating  romance  of  June  rose-gardens  under 
moonlight. 

She,  too,  seemed  to  have  suffered  a  surprise  at 
hearing  the  tones  in  which  he  had  spoken.  "His 
address !  Oh,  no,  it  wasn't  Mr.  Easterday  I  was 

wanting.  I  only  supposed If  Mrs.  Lockwood's 

at  home,  I  should  like  to  see  her." 

Her  voice  was  like  a  chime  of  contralto  bells.  It 
made  him  think  of  Bemhardt.  It  imparted  to  the 
commonplaces  she  uttered  a  quite  disproportionate 
intensity  of  drama  and  tragic  depth.  The  way  in 
which  she  had  said,  "Oh,  no,'*  reverberated  in  his 
memory  as  though  the  sound  still  lingered  on  the 
air. 

"I  don't  know  at  all,"  he  commenced.  Then  he 
smiled  at  his  confusion.  "You  see  I'm  not  used  to 
answering  doors,  and  Mrs.  Lockwood's  not  quite  her 
self.  She  was  very  tired  just  now.  But  if  you'll 
give  me  your  name,  I'll " 

If  he'd  been  left  to  himself,  he  might  have  suc 
ceeded  in  creating  the  impression  that  he  was  Mai- 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  187 

sie's  physician.  As  it  was,  his  conscience  was  spared 
the  deception  by  the  advent  of  the  inevitable  Por 
ter.  She  sailed  up  behind  him  with  an  appearance 
so  immaculate  that  it  would  have  shed  propriety  on 
the  most  compromising  circumstances.  He  instantly 
stood  aside  to  make  room  for  her.  "Porter,  here's 
a  lady  enquiring  for " 

But  the  lady  took  matters  into  her  own  hands. 
"Mrs.  Lockwood  in,  Porter?" 

"Why,  certainly,  your  Ladyship." 

"Then  why  was  I  shut  out?  Who  is  this  gentle 
man  who — 

The  rest  was  lost  as  their  voices  sank.  The  next 
words  he  caught  were  her  Ladyship's,  running  up 
the  scale  of  laughter.  "Then  I'm  not  de  trop! 
That's  a  blessing!" 

He  fell  back,  trying  to  obliterate  himself,  as  with 
every  sign  of  deference  Porter  admitted  her;  but 
in  crossing  the  hall,  she  had  to  pass  him.  Scarcely 
pausing,  she  swept  him  with  a  pair  of  stone-gray 
eyes,  made  mischievous  for  the  moment  with  merri 
ment.  "You're  no  good  as  a  butler,"  she  whispered. 
"You  carry  discretion  too  far." 

To  his  chagrin  he  recognized  her — the  one  woman 
whom  he  would  most  have  chosen  to  have  met  in  an 
attitude  that  was  dignified.  She  entered  the  draw 
ing-room  and  was  lost  to  sight.  But  she  had  left 
the  door  ajar  and  he  heard  Maisie's  delighted  excla 
mation,  "Why,  Di,  what  brings  you  here  so  late? 
This  is  darling  of  you!"  His  position  was  elabo 
rately  false.  It  grew  more  false  every  minute  he 
delayed.  He  foresaw  himself  apologizing  and  being 


188      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

explained.  He  had  no  appetite  for  explanations. 
Since  he  had  adventured  into  Mulberry  Tree  Court, 
he  had  twice  been  tempted  to  bolt  for  safety.  Now 
that  he  was  tempted  for  a  third  time,  he  acted 
blindly  on  the  impulse.  Having  played  the  role  of 
butler  with  too  much  discretion,  he  seized  his  hat 
and,  without  a  thought  of  ceremony,  adopted  a  but 
ler's  mode  of  escaping. 

Ill 

In  the  shrouded  emptiness  of  the  London  night 
he  felt  himself  free  again.  He  came  into  possession 
of  himself  and  found  that  he  could  think  with  his 
old  definite  clearness.  In  the  last  few  hours  events 
had  rushed  him  off  his  feet;  he  had  no  sooner  real 
ized  their  significance  than  he  had  discovered  him 
self  in  the  throes  of  a  new  crisis.  Now,  for  the  mo 
ment,  he  stood  aloof  and  could  consider  his  actions 
in  their  true  perspective. 

As  he  turned  out  of  Mulberry  Tree  Court,  he  had 
thought  he  had  heard  a  voice  calling  after  him. 
"Lord  Taborley !  Lord  Taborley !"  He  had  looked 
back  across  the  imitation  village-green,  where  the 
white  posts  showed  dimly  like  smudges  of  chalk.  The 
door  of  Maisie's  house  had  been  opened  wide,  mak 
ing  a  lozenge  of  gold  against  the  blackness.  He  had 
fancied  that  he  had  seen  her  standing  there  framed, 

leaning  out,  and  then Yes,  surely  he  had  heard 

the  running  of  slippered  feet  along  the  pavement. 
He  had  not  waited.  He  scarcely  knew  from  what 
he  was  escaping — perhaps  from  his  fate,  from  which 


'You're  no  good  as  a  butler,"  she  whispered. 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  189 

there  is  ultimately  no  escape.  He  seized  his  respite, 
however,  for  the  dread  of  recapture  was  strong 
upon  him. 

And  now  all  hint  of  pursuit  had  died  out.  Tall 
houses  stood  muted  against  the  sky;  dim  trees  cast 
a  leafy  obscurity;  stars  glinted  remotely  like  dia 
monds  set  in  gun-metal.  He  found  a  hea^ng  chastity 
in  his  sudden  aloneness ;  it  roused  in  him  an  almost 
angry  desire  to  recover  his  lost  monasticism. 

He  was  amused  to  discover  himself  speculating  as 
to  whether  women  were  worth  the  trouble  they  oc 
casioned.  They  coerced  men  with  sentimental  argu 
ments  to  which  there  were  no  replies.  They  wore 
away  men's  fortitude  with  the  continual  flowing  of 
their  tears.  They  molded  men's  strength  into  weak 
ness  with  the  magic  caressing  of  their  sex.  They 
promised  and  disappointed,  flattered  and  allured, 
captured  and  despised.  Their  curiosity  was  in 
satiable  to  possess  themselves  of  secrets,  which  were 
no  longer  valued  the  moment  they  were  divulged. 
Their  little  teasing  hands,  so  destructive  and  lovable, 
had  commenced  the  debacle  of  every  human  great 
ness.  Throughout  the  ages,  their  coaxing,  pleading 
voices  could  be  heard  wheedling  men's  hearts  to  the 
same  purpose.  "Tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  wherein  thy 
great  strength  licth,  and  wherein  thou  mightest  be 
bound  to  afflict  thee."  The  strength  of  men  had 
eternally  roused  their  resentment,  whether  they  were 
the  Delilahs  of  long  ago  or  the  Maisies  of  a  modern 
generation.  The  goal  of  all  their  passion,  even; 
when  it  was  unselfish,  was  to  bind. 

He  had  nearly  been  bound,  but  he  hajd  escaped- 


190     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

At  the  thought  that  he  had  escaped,  he  felt  a  flood 
of  exultant  joy  sweep  through  him.  He  smiled, 
believing  he  had  discovered  a  humorous  and  more 
human  motive  for  the  exhausting  piety  of  the 
anchorites.  It  wasn't  their  religious  self-abnegation 
that  had  made  them  flee  to  scorched  river-beds  and 
desert  hiding-places ;  it  was  their  triumphant  satis 
faction  at  having  tantalized  and  eluded  feminine 
pursuit.  They  fled  in  order  that  they  might  possess, 
not  deny  themselves.  As  they  became  more  emaci 
ated  and  scarred  and  as  their  needs  grew  less,  they 
listened.  What  they  heard  was  ample  compensation 
for  all  that  they  had  foresworn  at  the  hands  of  life. 
Far  blown  from  distant  haunts  of  habitation  came 
a  sound  which  in  their  ears  was  sweetest  music: 
day  and  night  the  painful  dragging  of  chains  and 
the  groan  of  men  toiling  in  servitude  to  women. 

"The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson!"  When 
the  last  sleepy  caress  had  been  given,  all  men  who 
lacked  the  caution  of  the  anchorite,  were  sooner  or 
later  destined  to  hear  that  cry. 

How  much  nobler  men  had  been  in  a  womanless 
world !  Some  of  them  had  had  to  become  womanless 
before  they  could  be  noble.  Pollock  plunging  to  his 
death  from  the  clouds,  like  an  eagle  struck  by  a 
thunderbolt !  Lord  Dawn  with  the  smile  of  calm  re 
membrance  on  his  lips,  purged  of  all  his  fruitless 
sex-contentions,  lying  white  and  quiet  beneath  the 
crack  and  spatter  of  exploding  shells !  Braithwaite, 
the  ex-valet,  who  had  proved  himself  an  aristocrat 
in  courage!  And  he  himself,  thinking  only  of  duty, 
.with  every  jealous  ambition  laid  aside! 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  191 

And  now —  The  mate  of  the  eagle  was  a  trifler 
with  peacocks  and  vultures.  The  man  whose  face 
had  been  molded  by  his  last  thought  into  an  ex 
pression  of  serene  faithfulness,  was  recalled  only 
as  one  who  had  lived  envenomed  by  disloyalty. 
Braithwaite,  the  aristocrat  in  courage,  was  now  dis 
tinguished  for  his  cowardice;  he  himself  was  at  one 
and  the  same  time  Braithwaite's  rival  and  grudging 
critic.  The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson!  And 
lie  awoke  out  of  his  sleep  and  said,  I  "mil  go  out  as 
at  other  times  and  shake  myself 

Asleep !  He  felt  that  he,  too,  had  been  asleep. 
All  the  men  who  had  been  giants  in  the  past  five 
years  were  either  dead  or  sleeping.  And  this  sud 
den  transformation  was  the  work  of  women,  because 
men  had  come  back  to  walk  and  rest  with  them  in 
the  soft,  desired  places.  The  little  feminine  hands 
had  stripped  them  of  their  charity,  had  taken  away 
their  valor  and  had  concealed  liers-in-wait  in  the 
chamber  of  their  affections. 

So  his  thoughts  ran  on,  amplifying,  magnifying, 
exaggerating  the  theme  of  the  debilitating  effects 
of  women.  But  from  all  his  accusations  he  exempted 
Terry.  She  was  the  Joan  of  Arc  of  his  imagina 
tion,  who  rode  on  unvanquished  across  life's  battle 
fields,  inspiring  to  heroism  with  her  shining  purity. 
And  he  made  one  other  exception — Lady  Dawn.  It 
was  the  Lady  Dawn  of  the  portrait  he  exempted,  not 
the  Lady  Dawn  who  had  mocked  him  in  passing  with 
her  steady  stone-gray  eyes.  In  a  strange  way  he 
discriminated  between  the  portrait  and  the  living 
woman.  The  portrait  was  almost  his  friend;  the 


192     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

living  woman  was  a  stranger.  The  woman  in  the 
portrait  was  after  his  own  heart;  she  had  never 
been  known  to  cry.  "Do  it  harder ;  I  can  bear  more 
than  that."  He  thrilled  to  the  pride  of  her  defiance. 

Then  he  pulled  himself  up  with  a  start.  Again 
he  was  thinking  about  her.  Yes,  and  though  he 
might  discriminate  between  the  portrait  and  the 
living  woman,  it  was  the  living  woman's  eyes  that 
gleamed  in  the  blackness  of  his  mind.  There  was 
truth  in  what  Maisie  had  said,  that  were  he  as  much 
in  love  with  Terry  as  he  professed  all  other  women, 
however  beautiful,  except  the  one  woman,  should  be 
hanks  of  hair  and  bags  of  bones.  He  consoled  him 
self  by  arguing  that  that  was  precisely  what  he  had 
been  trying  to  prove  them  by  his  sweeping  applica 
tions  of  the  conduct  of  Delilah. 

Whichever  way  he  viewed  his  situation,  things 
were  in  a  pretty  fair  muddle — a  muddle  which  an 
noyed  him  because  it  was  so  unmerited.  He  was 
pledged  to  Terry,  while  she  held  herself  unpledged. 
He  was  committed  to  help  Maisie — a  distinctly  un 
wise  little  lady  for  any  bachelor  to  help.  As  a 
third  party  to  his  problem,  Lady  Dawn  intruded 
herself — though  why  she  should,  he  wasn't  certain. 
He  would  have  to  see  her,  however  much  Maisie  dis 
suaded  ;  it  was  right  that  she  should  know  about 
her  husband.  Yet  was  that  the  entire  reason  why 
he  was  so  keen  to  see  her?  He  assured  himself  very 
earnestly  that  it  was,  and  dismissed  her  from  his 
mind. 

For  the  rest  of  the  journey  home  he  conscien- 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  193 

tiously    narrowed    his    imaginings    to    thoughts    of 
Terry. 

IV 

It  was  with  thoughts  of  her  that  he  fitted  his  key 
in  the  latch.  The  Square  was  full  of  newly  married 
couples,  some  of  them  little  more  than  boys  and 
girls — youngsters  who  had  waited  impatiently  and 
had  run  together  the  moment  war  was  ended.  Oth 
ers  had  been  married  just  long  enough  to  be  proudly 
parading  their  first  baby.  Every  morning  white 
prams  were  wheeled  out  into  the  garden,  there  to  be 
watched  over  by  softly  spoken  nurses.  Every  night, 
as  dusk  came  down,  expectant  mothers  paced  gently 
through  the  shadows,  leaning  on  the  arms  of  ex- 
officer  husbands.  It  wasn't  only  in  the  trees  that 
nests  were  being  built.  The  Square's  name  might 
well  have  been  changed  to  Honeymoon  Square. 

And  now,  as  Tabs  pushed  the  door  open,  pre 
paring  to  enter,  he  knew  that  all  up  and  down  the 
Square,  behind  the  pall  of  darkness,  other  doors 
were  being  pushed  back.  Young  couples  were  com 
ing  home  from  dinners  and  theaters.  He  could  hear 
the  murmur  of  their  laughter,  subdued  and  secret, 
hinting  at  intimacies  of  affection.  The  men  had 
misplaced  their  latch-key  perhaps ;  the  girls  were 
advising  that  they  search  another  pocket.  Or  the 
lock  refused  to  turn  and  the  girls  were  whispering 
how  it  could  be  persuaded.  Some  of  them  were  ar 
riving  in  taxis;  others,  less  lucky  or  more  economic, 
were  tripping  by  on  foot  along  the  pavement.  He 
noticed  how  closely  they  clung  together  and  he 


194     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

thought  of  Terry.  It  would  be  jolly  to  be  young, 
to  build  a  nest  and,  by  and  by,  to  see  your  own 
white  pram  wheeled  out  to  take  its  place  in  the 
blowy  greenness  of  the  garden.  He  withdrew  his 
key  and  entered,  closing  the  door  behind  him. 

The  house  was  very  still.  It  was  nearly  midnight. 
The  maids  had  gone  to  bed,  leaving  lights  in  the  hall 
and  on  the  landings.  As  he  hung  up  his  hat,  the 
stillness  was  broken  by  the  sudden  ringing  of  the 
telephone.  It  rang  in  a  peevish,  scolding  manner, 
as  though  this  were  not  the  first  time  and  it  had  lost 
its  temper  with  waiting.  He  climbed  the  flight  of 
stairs  to  his  library  and,  without  waiting  to  switch 
on  the  lights,  sat  down  at  his  table,  taking  up  the 
receiver. 

"Yes." 

"Is  this  Lord  Taborley?"  a  voice  inquired. 

"Lord  Taborley  speaking." 

"This  is  Sir  Tobias  Beddow."  There  was  a  pause, 
followed  by  a  little  asthmatic  cough.  Then,  "How 
are  you,  my  dear  fellow?  I've  been  -crying  to  reach 
you  all  evening.  I  was  expecting  to  see  you  round 
here  this  morning  at  eleven. — No,  I  don't  mean  per 
haps  what  you  infer.  Besides,  it  wouldn't  have  been 
any  good  if  you  had  called;  Terry  wandered  out, 
without  leaving  word  where  she  was  going.  She 
didn't  get  back  till  nearly  lunch-time.  Most  unac 
countable  conduct  under  the  circumstances ;  but 
since  your  conduct  was  equally  unaccountable,  per 
haps  it  was  just  as  well.  But  that  wasn't  what  I 
called  you  up  about." 

Tabs  smiled  in  the  darkness.     Sir  Tobias  was  as 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  195 

simple  and  crafty  as  a  child;  he  couldn't  keep 
anything  back.  Then  his  mind  jumped  to  the  obvi 
ous  conclusion.  Terry  hadn't  told  her  parents 
about  her  morning  interview;  her  parents  naturally 
supposed  that  it  was  his  fault  that  he  was  not  en 
gaged  to  her  as  yet.  Making  an  effort  to  be  diplo 
matic,  he  said,  "Perhaps  I  can  explain  my  apparent 
negligence  to  you  later.  It  must  seem  unpardon 
able.  I've  been  busy  every  minute  over  things  that 
absolutely  couldn't  be  avoided." 

"Of  course.  Of  course."  The  words  were  spoken 
soothingly,  but  without  conviction.  "We  men  under 
stand.  It's  Lady  Beddow  who Such  events 

are  women's  great  occasions.  She's  a  stickler  for 

form.  As  you  say,  you  can  explain  later But 

that  wasn't  what  I  called  you  up  about." 

Tabs  stifled  a  yawn.  He  had  suddenly  discovered 
he  was  sleepy. 

"What  was  that  you  said?"  Sir  Tobias  enquired 
suspiciously. 

"I  didn't  say  anything,"  Tabs  replied  politely. 
"But  I  think  I  know  what  you  called  me  up  about. 
It  was  about  Maisie — I  mean  Mrs.  Lockwood." 

"What  about  her?"  The  question  was  asked  care 
lessly  ;  he  knew  at  once  that  he  had  missed  his  guess. 
It  was  strange,  even  though  he  had  guessed  wrongly, 
that  Sir  Tobias  should  not  display  more  interest. 

"What  about  her?  Only  that  Fve  spent  the  last 
six  hours  with  her.  You  asked  me  to  see  her  as  soon 
as  possible,  you  remember.  I  had  only  just  got 
home  from  being  with  her,  when  the  telephone  rang. 
She's  not  the  woman  we  thought  her." 


196     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"Eh?    What's  that?" 

He  repeated  what  he  had  said.  He  was  perfectly 
certain  that  Sir  Tobias  had  heard  the  first  time. 
"She's  not  the  woman  we  thought  her."  And  he 
added,  "There's  been  some  mistake.  She  hasn't  and 
never  did  have  any  designs  on  Adair.  After  we'd 
talked  things  over,  she  agreed  of  her  own  accord 
never  to  see  him  again." 

"She  did !"  There  was  a  long  pause,  expressive 
of  skepticism,  dissatisfaction,  or  anything  that  he 
cared  to  conjecture.  Then,  "When  we  meet,  you 
can  tell  me.  But  that  wasn't  what  I  called  you  up 
about." 

Tabs  waited  for  him  to  tell  him  why  he  had  called 
him  up.  He  waited  so  long  that  it  seemed  to  be  a 
competition  to  see  who  would  compel  the  other  to 
break  the  silence  first.  At  last  he  gave  in.  "If  that 
wasn't  why,  why  did  you?" 

He  almost  heard  Sir  Tobias  blink  his  eyes — those 
faded  eyes  that  looked  so  blind  and  saw  so  much. 
"I  called  you  up  about  this  General  Braithwaite. 
He's  been  here  to  see  me  on  the  biggest  fool's  errand, 
with  the  most  unusual  story  which,  if  it's  true, 
partly  concerns  yourself.  It's  too  late  to  enter  into 
details  this  evening.  But  I  thought  I'd  let  you 
know Good  night." 

"One  minute,  Sir  Tobias 

Before  he  could  get  any  further  Sir  Tobias  had 
hung  up.  For  a  few  seconds  he  sat  there  in  the 
darkness  listening;  then  he  hung  up  also  and  took 
himself  off  to  bed. 

What  object  had  Braithwaite  had  in  going  to  see 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  197 

Sir  Tobias?  Was  it  his  first  step  in  trying  to  play 
fair?  Was  his  "fool's  errand"  a  formal  request  for 
Terry's  hand  in  marriage  and  his  "unusual  story" 
a  manly  recital  of  the  facts?  And  had  this  great 
advance  in  frankness  included  the  telling  of  Ann? 
As  he  tossed  sleeplessly  from  side  to  side,  other  prob 
lems  leapt  up  to  confront  him.  Had  he  done  wisely 
in  promising  Maisie  that,  in  a  measure,  he  would 
compensate  her  for  the  loss  of  Adair?  What  would 
Sir  Tobias  think  of  such  an  intimacy  when  he  got 
to  hear  of  it?  What  would  even  Adair  think  of  it? 
There  was  only  one  person  who  would  not  doubt  his 
integrity  ;  that  was  Terry.  And  then  Lady  Dawn — - 
had  he  actually  any  moral  right  to  interfere  in  her 
affairs?  "Do  it  harder;  I  can  bear  more  than  that." 
He  could  hear  her  saying  it  in  that  deep,  emotional 
voice  of  hers.  He  could  feel  her  honest  stone-gray 
eyes,  probing  his  soul  for  motives  in  the  darkness. 

Day  was  breaking  and  birds  were  stirring  in  the 
mist  of  greenness  that  topped  his  windows,  before 
his  eye-lids  closed  and  he  slipped  off  into  forgetful- 
ness. 


"To-morrow's  another  new  day,"  he  thought  as  he 
awoke.  One  could  meet  any  and  every  indebtedness 
to  life  if  he  only  had  a  sufficient  fund  of  to-morrows 
in  his  bank. 

He  looked  at  his  watch  and  leapt  out  of  bed. 
Nine  o'clock !  He  had  slept  late.  He  didn't  hurry 
over  his  dressing.  He  could  afford  to  be  late  for 
once.  The  mood  of  conquest  was  upon  him.  Maisie 


198     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

had  said  that.  No,  it  wasn't  the  mood  but  the  air  of 
conquest  that  she'd  said  he  had.  Whichever  it  was, 
he  would  prove  her  a  true  prophetess.  He  might 
not  gain  all  his  desires,  but  he'd  at  least  wear  the 
air  of  one  who  was  going  to  gain  them.  To-morrow 
was  another  new  day,  and  to-morrow  had  arrived. 

On  coming  down  to  breakfast  he  scrutinized  Ann's 
features  closely  to  learn  whether  she  had  heard  any 
thing  from  Braithwaite.  They  told  him  nothing. 
Presently,  however,  while  she  served  him,  she  began 
to  open  out. 

"Did  your  Lordship  speak  to  the  gentleman  at  the 
War  Office?" 

Tabs  had  been  glancing  through  the  morning 
paper.  He  looked  up.  "Yes,  I  did,  Ann.  I  placed 
your  letter  in  his  hands,  and  saw  him  read  it." 

"Did  he  say  anything  or  promise  anything  to 
your  Lordship?" 

Tabs  pursed  his  lips  judicially,  trying  to  avoid 
a  lie.  "You  know  what  these  War  Office  officials 
are.  They  never  make  promises  to  any  one.  But  I 
believe  this  one's  a  good-hearted  chap.  When  he 
realizes  how  much  this  thing  means  to  you,  I  think 
he'll  do  his  best." 

"Then  he  didn't  show  your  Lordship  my  letter?" 

Tabs  had  dipped  into  his  newspaper  again.  He 
detested  the  well-meant  deceit  he  was  compelled  to 
practice.  This  time,  when  he  answered,  he  didn't 
raise  his  eyes.  "No,  he  didn't." 

But  she  didn't  efface  herself,  as  he  had  expected. 
She  stood  there,  to  one  side  of  his  chair.  He  felt 
that  she  was  looking  down  at  him.  Just  above  the 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  199 

edge  of  his  paper  he  could  see  her  hands  clasped 
together,  pressing  against  each  other  in  agitation. 
He  abandoned  his  refuge  and  dropped  the  paper  to 
the  carpet. 

"Something  more  that  you  want  to  ask  me? 
What  is  it?" 

"Your  Lordship  said  that  when  the  gentleman 
realized  how  much  all  this  meant  to  me,  he'd  do  his 
best." 

"That's  what  I  said  and  I'm  sure  of  it." 

"What  I  wanted  to  ask  was,  does  your  Lordship 
think  he  has  realized?" 

It  was  the  way  she  said  it  that  roused  his  curi 
osity.  Could  she  have  guessed?  Had  she  read  the 
address  on  that  letter  which  he  had  given  her  to 
post  to  General  Braithwaite,  and  put  two  and  two 
together? 

He  met  her  eyes — good,  gray  eyes,  with  something 
of  Lady  Dawn's  grave  honesty  in  their  expression. 
"I  think  he  has  realized." 

"Thank  you,  sir;  and  I'm  sorry  I  had  to  trouble 
you." 

She  withdrew,  leaving  him  with  the  disturbing 
sense  that  she  had  intended  more  than  she  had  said. 
He  gathered  up  the  paper  from  the  floor  in  the  hope 
that  a  perusal  of  it  might  enable  him  to  recover  his 
lost  equanimity.  In  so  doing  he  caught  sight  of  the 
last  page,  which  contained  the  photographic  items. 
Braithwaite's  face  stared  up  at  him.  Above  it  was 
printed  the  caption,  "Youngest  Ranker  Brigadier 
Demobbed  Yesterday." 


200     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

If  she  had  seen  that,  she  knew.  If  she  had  seen 
it,  what  would  be  her  next  move — appeal  or  re 
venge?  What  had  been  the  significance  of  her  final 
question,  "Does  your -Lordship  think  he  has  real 
ized?"  Did  she  know  now;  had  she  even  known  when 
she  had  written  her  letter  that  it  would  be  received 
by  Braithwaite  himself? 

If  she  didn't  know  and  had  not  seen  the  paper, 
he  was  determined  that  she  should  not  see  it.  Be 
fore  leaving  the  room,  he  stuffed  it  into  the  empty 
grate  and  applied  a  match.  He  would  play  fair  by 
Braithwaite.  He  was  so  eager  to  play  fair  that  he 
did  not  turn  to  go  upstairs  till  every  vestige  of 
print  had  been  licked  to  ashes. 

VI 

His  library  occupied  the  whole  of  the  second 
story ;  even  at  that  it  was  not  very  large.  It  had  two 
long  French  windows,  opening  onto  a  veranda  which 
looked  out  over  the  Square.  The  veranda  was  con 
structed  of  wrought  iron,  painted  green,  and  ran 
straight  across  the  front  of  the  house.  Ann  used  it 
for  giving  her  plants  an  airing;  they  usually  formed 
a  truant  garden  beyond  the  panes.  There  was  a 
smaller  window  at  the  back,  from  which  a  view  could 
be  obtained  of  the  Oratory. 

The  room  was  furnished  in  English  red  lacquer, 
which  had  been  transferred  from  the  collection  at 
Taborley  House,  when  Taborley  House  had  been 
lent  to  the  Americans  for  a  military  hospital.  The 
walls  were  hung  with  landscapes  by  Zuccarelli  and 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  201 

with  Chinese  portrait-groups  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen 
tury. 

He  had  scarcely  entered  before  the  telephone  re 
newed  its  irritating  clamor,  like  a  fretful  child 
which  yelled  whenever  it  heard  his  footstep.  He 
responded  to  its  fretfulness  in  very  much  the  same 
mood,  seizing  hold  of  the  receiver  as  though  he  would 
shake  it  into  silence. 

"Yes.     Hullo  !     Hullo !    Yes,  this  is  Lord  Tabor- 
ley.     What's  that?     You  didn't  catch  what  I— 
It's  Lord  Taborley  speaking,  I  said.'* 

"Well,  I  must  say  you  don't  sound  very  nice."  It 
was  a  woman's  amused  voice.  "Even  at  this  dis 
tance,  you  make  me  almost  afraid.  I  do  hope  you 
haven't  been  like  that  all  night." 

Tabs  made  his  tones  more  smiling.  "I'm  sorry 
if  I  don't  sound  sufficiently  pleasant.  But  who  are 
you?" 

"Well,  who  do  you  think?"  There  was  a  snatch 
of  laughter.  "I'm  Maisie ;  I  mean  Mrs.  Lockwood. 
You  needn't  tell  me  that  you're  not  frowning,  be 
cause  I  can  feel  it.  What's  the  matter?" 

He  pulled  a  wry  face  at  himself  in  the  opposite 
mirror  and  shrugged  his  shoulders.  Down  the 
'phone  he  said  with  excessive  amiability,  "Nothing. 
I'm  top-hole.  How  are  you  feeling?" 

Her  answer  came  back  like  a  flash,  "Vulgar  and 
not  very  safe."  It  was  followed  by  a  gurgle  of 
merriment. 

"I'm  not  sure  that  I  understand  your  symptoms." 

The  gurgle  was  repeated.  "You  wouldn't.  Lord 
^Taborley  never  feels  vulgar  and  he's  always  safe. 


202     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

But  this  is  one  of  my  vulgar  days,  when  I'm  not 
to  be  trusted.  I  always  have  one  when  Di  has  been 
to  visit  me ;  it's  the  relapse  after  contact  with  too 
high  standards  of  respectability.  I'm  liable  to  do 
anything.  I  married  Gervis  and  Lockwood  after 
being  with  her.  I  shall  break  out  to-day  if  you  don't 
come  at  once  and  stop  me.  Unless — unless  you  don't 
want  to  stop  me  and  would  prefer  the  experiment  of 
being  vulgar  together." 

"The  prospect  sounds  alluring."  He  was  trying 
to  let  her  down  lightly.  "But  I'm  afraid  I  have  too 
many  engagements  on  hand." 

"Oh!"  It  was  the  oh  of  disappointment.  When 
she  spoke  again  her  gay  irresponsibility  had  van 
ished  and  a  coaxing  quality  had  come  into  her  voice. 
"I  know  you've  only  just  got  home  from  being  with 
me — I  mean  comparatively  speaking.  I  don't  want 

to  make  myself  a  burden  to  you,  but It's  such 

a  jolly  day.  Have  you  been  up  long  enough  to  look 
out  of  the  window?  I  thought  we  could  go  off  some 
where — to  the  Zoo,  perhaps,  and  drink  lemonade  all 
among  the  monkeys  and  the  nuts.  I  woke  up  plan 
ning  it.  We'd  limit  our  spending  money  to  five 
shillings  like  kiddies,  and  do  all  our  riding  on  busses. 
Doesn't  that  sound  jolly?" 

"Immensely,"  he  agreed;  "but  I'm  afraid  no 
amount  of  jolliness  could  tempt — 

She  broke  in  on  him.  "It's  the  kind  of  thing  I 
used  to  do  with  Adair." 

The  meaning  of  this  last  remark  was  plain ;  she 
was  reminding  him  that  if  the  pair  of  shoes  vacated 
by  Adair  were  to  remain  vacated,  he  must  pay  the 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  203 

promised  price  on  occasions  by  wearing  them  him 
self.  He  determined  to  get  behind  her  diplomatic 
hints  with  frankness. 

"I  don't  want  you  to  think,  Mrs.  Lockwood,  that 
because  I  have  to  refuse  your  first  request  Fm  go 
ing  back  on  our  contract.  There'll  be  plenty  of  other 
opportunities." 

He  caught  her  sigh  of  relief  across  the  line. 
When  she  spoke  again  it  was  with  a  new  brightness 
and  reasonableness.  "I'm  glad  you  said  that.  So 
you  really  are  going  to  help  me?  I  was  a  wee  bit 
afraid  that  you'd  gone  back  on  your  bargain  by 
the  way  you  ran  away." 

It  was  his  first  experience  of  the  advantage  a 
woman  gains  when  she  attacks  a  man  from  the  other 
end  of  a  telephone.  He  had  trouble  in  making  his 
voice  sound  patient.  He  replied  with  conscious 
hypocrisy,  "Fm  sorry  I  created  the  impression  of 
running  away." 

"You  did."  Her  answer  came  back  promptly. 
"You  created  the  same  impression  on  us  both.  I 
had  to  do  a  lot  of  explaining  to  Di." 

"And  I  was  trying  to  save  you  embarrassment," 
he  excused  himself. 

"Eh!    What's  that?" 

To  his  immense  surprise  a  third  voice — a  man's — 
jumped  in  on  the  conversation.  "Are  you  there?  Is 
'this  Lord  Taborley?" 

Tabs  was  just  getting  ready  to  confess  that  he 
was  there  and  that  he  was  Lord  Taborley,  when 
Maisie  took  matters  out  of  his  hands  by  informing 


204     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

the  intruder  that  the  line  was  occupied  and  that  he 
was  interrupting  a  conversation. 

"I'm  sorry,"  the  intruder  apologized,  "but  my 
time's  valuable.  I've  been  kept  waiting  for  the  best 
part  of  quarter  of  an  hour.  Are  you  the  telephone- 
girl  that  I'm  talking  to?" 

"Indeed  I'm  not,"  said  Maisie  with  considerable 
haughtiness.  "Please  get  off  the  line."  And  then 
to  Tabs,  "Are  you  still  there,  Lord  Taborley?  This 
is  Mrs.  Lockwood.  Can't  you  postpone  some  of 
those  engagements  so  that  we  can  meet  to-day?" 

At  that  moment  the  girl  at  the  switch-board  took 
a  hand.  There  was  a  confused  gabbling  and  buzzing 
of  voices,  out  of  which  the  suave  tones  of  the  in 
truder  emerged  triumphant,  saying,  "This  is  Sir 
Tobias  Beddow.  Can  I  speak  with  Lord  Taborley?" 

Perhaps  Maisie  had  heard.  At  all  events,  the  mo 
ment  Sir  Tobias  declared  himself  the  line  cleared. 

But  it  wasn't  what  Maisie  had  overheard  that 
disturbed  Tabs ;  it  was  the  uncertainty  as  to  how 
much  of  her  conversation  had  been  listened  to  by 
Sir  Tobias.  After  all,  prospective  fathers-in-law 
are  only  human  and  as  likely  as  any  other  class  to 
jump  to  damaging  conclusions.  Tabs  hung  up  the 
receiver,  making  it  necessary  for  him  to  be  sum 
moned  afresh  before  he  acknowledged  his  presence 
at  the  'phone.  Then,  "Good  morning,  Sir  Tobias." 

"Good  morning,  my  dear  fellow."  Sir  Tobias  was 
as  courtly  and  friendly  as  ever.  "I  called  you  up 
to  know  whether  you  could  run  round  to  see  me 
between  now  and  the  forenoon.  Yes,  the  matter  I 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  205 

mentioned  to   you  last  night.     About  eleven,   you 
say?     Very  well,  then,  I  shall  expect  you." 


VII 

No  sooner  had  the  butler  with  the  velvet-plush 
manners  admitted  him  than  he  found  himself  face 
to  face  with  Terry.  She  must  have  known  that  he 
was  expected  and  have  been  lying  in  wait  for  him. 
Before  he  could  say  a  word,  she  pressed  a  finger 
to  her  lips,  signaling  caution.  To  the  butler  she 
said  in  a  low  tone,  "It's  all  right,  James ;  you  don't 
need  to  wait.  I'll  announce  Lord  Taborley."  The 
discreet  James  showed  a  fitting  appreciation  of 
romance  by  folding  his  plump  hands  across  the  pit 
of  his  stomach,  making  the  ghost  of  a  bow  and  tip 
toeing  noiselessly  into  the  nether  regions  with  the 
stealth  of  a  conspirator. 

Terry's  face  was  a  picture  of  innocence.  After 
Maisie  she  struck  him  as  very  young — much  too 
young  to  love  or  to  know  the  meaning  of  love.  The 
sight  of  her  freshness  was  forbidding.  It  made  him 
seem  jaded.  It  filled  him  with  a  reverence  that 
was  not  far  short  of  worship.  He  felt  it  impossible 
to  think  of  her  as  performing  the  ordinary  acts  of 
a  mortal  world.  He  had  the  feeling  that  she  moved 
on  higher  levels — that  she  was  a  creature  too  shy 
and  perfect  to  be  made  the  instrument  of  passion. 
She  should  be  guarded  in  her  purity  like  a  vestal 
virgin,  so  that  her  straight  young  body  might  be 
forever  valiant  and  her  eyes  might  never  learn  the 
cowardice  of  tears. 


206     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

In  the  brave  March  sunlight  which  shafted  down 
on  her,  her  head  looked  more  like  a  Botticelli  angel's 
than  ever.  The  raw  gold  of  her  bobbed  hair  shone 
solid  as  metal,  making  a  sharp  edge  where  it  ended 
against  the  ivory  pallor  of  her  throat.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  white  tailor-made  serge.  Her  violet  eyes 
danced  with  eager  secrets. 

"What  are  you  doing  to-day?"  she  whispered. 

"Nothing!"  he  whispered,  "if  you  want  me." 

"Then  invite  me  out  to  lunch.  I've  such  heaps  to 
tell  you.  Don't  let  Daddy  take  you  to  his  club — I 
know  he's  going  to  ask  you.  And,  oh,  before  I  for 
get,  I've  told  them  nothing  about  yesterday,  so  don't 
give  me  away  by  accident."  Then  in  a  sly  aside, 
just  as  she  was  turning  the  door-knob  to  admit  him 
to  her  father's  library,  "You've  been  getting  on 
famously  with  Maisie,  haven't  you?" 

Before  he  could  reply,  they  were  across  the 
threshold.  There  was  a  sound  as  of  a  rheumaticky 
hen  stirring  in  its  nest.  The  neck  of  Sir  Tobias 
craned  painfully  round  the  corner  of  a  high-backed 
chair. 

"Here's  Lord  Taborley  to  see  you,  Daddy.  Don't 
keep  him  forever.  He's  just  invited  me  to  go  out 
with  him  to  lunch." 

Having  shot  her  bolt,  with  the  masterly  strategy 
of  her  sex,  she  vanished,  pulling  the  door  behind 
her. 

What  would  Shakespeare  have  said  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  and  what  would  a  suitor  have  said  to 
Shakespeare  when  he  knew  that  he  was  suspected 
of  having  gone  back  on  his  request  for  the  daugh- 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  207 

ter's  hand  in  marriage?  Tabs  almost  felt  that  he 
was  in  the  actual  presence  of  the  bard  of  Stratford, 
Sir  Tobias  looked  so  ineffectually  pompous  and  over 
weighted  with  gravity.  Both  Sir  Tobias  and 
Shakespeare,  in  the  opinion  of  Tabs,  were  vastly 
overrated  persons ;  but  the  only  thing  Shakespearian 
about  Sir  Tobias  this  morning  was  the  magnificent 
calmness  of  his  forehead ;  his  podgy  body,  supported 
by  its  stiff  little  pen-wiper  legs  was  more  reminiscent 
of  Punch,  as  portrayed  on  the  cover  of  the  famous 
weekly  which  bears  his  name. 

"Immensely  considerate  of  you  to  come,"  puffed 
Sir  Tobias,  levering  himself  out  of  his  chair  in  order 
that  he  might  shake  hands. 

"Not  kind  at  all,"  Tabs  contradicted  cheerfully. 
"I  kill  two  birds  with  one  stone;  I  have  my  conver 
sation  with  you  and  in  half  an  hour  I  carry  off 
Terry." 

That'll  make  him  hurry  up  with  whatever  he  has 
to  say,  he  thought;  it  sets  a  time  limit. 

The  old  gentleman  seemed  put  out  to  find  himself 
deprived  of  his  prerogative  to  be  elaborate  and 
prosy.  He  made  a  gesture,  indicating  that  Tabs 
should  copy  his  example  and  choose  a  chair.  But 
Tabs  ignored  it.  He  had  learnt  that  a  man  on  his 
feet  has  the  advantage,  especially  if  he  stands  six 
foot  two  in  his  socks. 

"You'll  be  wanting  my  news,"  he  suggested.  "I 
told  you  pretty  well  everything  across  the  telephone. 
I  think  it's  a  case  of  everybody  having  got  the  wind 
up — Phyllis  particularly.  Mrs.  Lockwood's  a  very 
restful  woman.  I  should  call  her  a  man's  woman. 


208     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

She's  bright  and  entertaining  and  pretty,  and  she 
owns  a  charming  little  house.  She  had  no  responsi 
bilities,  so  she's  free  to  entertain  from  morning  till 
night.  Adair  has  without  doubt  visited  her  more 
often  than  was  wise.  It  was  remarkably  foolish 
of  him  to  have  made  a  woman-friend  whom  he  didn't 
share  with  Phyllis.  But  I  suppose  he  didn't  dare 
to  introduce  them  after  he'd  seen  that  Phyllis  was 
jealous.  However  that  may  be,  this  dread  that 
they  may  run  away  together  is  moonshine.  Mrs. 
Lockwood  sets  too  high  a  value  on  herself.  Besides, 
there's  only  one  man  whom  she  loves  or  ever  has 
loved  for  that  matter.  He  happens  to  be  dead!" 

"One  moment,  my  dear  fellow,"  Sir  Tobias  inter 
rupted,  "I  always  understood  that  the  lady  had  had 
three  husbands.  Was  this  man  one  of  them  or  did 
she  have  no  affection  for  any  of  the  men  she  mar 
ried?" 

Tabs  felt  himself  cornered — and  he  had  been  get 
ting  on  so  well.  He  realized  that  if  once  he  allowed 
Sir  Tobias  to  start  questioning  him  he  would  get 
tangled  up.  "She's  complex,"  he  explained;  "she's 
complex  in  her  simplicity.  She's  one  of  the  most 
simply  complicated  and  complicatedly  simple  women 
that  I  ever  met.  To  understand  her  you  have  to 
talk  with  her.  I  talked  with  her  for  six  hours.  The 
upshot  was  that  she  promised  to  shut  her  door 
against  Adair." 

The  innocent  old  eyes  blinked.  "I'm  not  modern, 
like  you,  Lord  Taborley.  I  have  my  suspicions  of 
these  simply  complicated  and  complicatedly  simple 
women.  Set  me  down  as  old  fashioned.  Having 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  209 

been  only  once  married,  I  can't  enter  into  the  refine 
ments  of  feeling  of  such  matrimonially  inclined  boa- 
constrictors  as  Mrs.  Lockwood.  I  sha'n't  give  myself 
the  chance  of  meeting  her.  I'm  an  old  man;  it 
would  be  too  upsetting.  If  I  talked  with  her,  I 
shouldn't  understand.  So  I  must  take  your  word 
for  it  that,  however  much  appearances  may  have 
been  against  her,  her  motives  were  beyond  question." 
He  slipped  forward  in  his  chair  with  a  disconcerting 
suddenness;  for  a  moment  his  filmy  eyes  became 
penetrating.  "She  seems  to  have  made  a  deep  im 
pression  on  you,  my  dear  fellow.  If  your  optimism 
proves  correct  and  through  your  efforts  Adair  is 
free  from  her  clutches,  we  all  owe  you  a  debt  of 
gratitude.  But — and  I'm  sure  you  won't  take  amiss 
what  I'm  saying — I  would  advise  you,  now  that 
you've  effected  Adair's  rescue,  not  to  see  too  much 
of  her  yourself.  In  fact,  if  I  were  you,  I  wouldn't 
see  her  any  more  if  J  could  help." 

It  was  clear  that  the  benignant,  sly  old  gentleman 
had  overheard  a  substantial  part  of  Maisie's  tele 
phone  conversation.  It  was  equally  clear  that  his 
interference  was  wisely  and  kindly  intended.  He 
had  a  perfect  right  to  be  scrupulous  about  the  con 
duct  of  a  man  whom  he  regarded  as  his  future  son- 
in-law;  but  he  had  no  right  to  take  advantage  of 
the  worst  managed  telephone-system  in  the  world  to 
eavesdrop  on  a  private  conversation.  At  the  same 
time  Tabs  could  hardly  accuse  him  of  eavesdrop 
ping,  so  he  fell  back  on  his  dignity  for  defense. 

"I've  always  been  very  well  able  to  take  care  of 
myself,"  he  said  quietly.  "If  I  hadn't  been,  I 


210     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

shouldn't  have  undertaken  your  mission  and  have 
gone  to  interview  the  kind  of  woman  you  described. 
I  found,  however,  that  she  didn't  live  up  to  your 
description  of  her;  in  fairness  to  her  I  have  to  let 
you  know  that.  I  don't  think  you  appreciate,  Sir 
Tobias,  what  a  delicate  situation  you  created  for 
both  of  us.  She's  a  woman  of  breeding;  which  goes 
without  saying  since  she's  Lady  Dawn's  sister — a 
fact  which  you  withheld  from  me.  You  sent  me  to 
her  house  as  a  kind  of  moral  policeman  with  a  war 
rant  for  her  arrest.  She  was  well  aware  of  that 
and  she  was  also  aware  that  the  charge  you  laid 
against  her  was  almost  libclously  mistaken.  All  I 
can  say  is  that  she  has  behaved  very  handsomely. 
Since  you  and  Phyllis  have  misunderstood  her  friend 
ship  for  Adair,  she's  willing  to  break  off  relations. 
The  most  courteous  and  only  decent  thing  that  we 
can  do  is  to  cease  discussing  her.  It's  an  incident 
which  does  none  of  us  much  credit." 

As  he  had  warmed  to  her  defense,  Tabs  had  been 
very  conscious  that  he  was  being  more  than  gen 
erous — perhaps  even  more  generous  than  truthful. 
It  hadn't  been  his  intention  at  the  start  to  depict 
her  as  a  wronged  and  spotless  angel;  but  the  skep 
ticism  of  the  attentive  old  image,  bleached  with 
disillusions  and  faded  with  years,  had  goaded  him 
to  excess. 

Sir  Tobias  had  listened,  scratching  his  pointed 
beard  thoughtfully,  with  entire  amiability.  He 
was  utterly  unimpressed  and  visibly  unashamed. 
"You're  a  man  of  the  world,  my  dear  Taborley,  and 
you  have  the  advantage  of  having  seen  her.  From 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  211 

what  you  say  I  gather  that  she's  not  bad  looking. 
To  the  not  bad  looking  much  is  forgiven.  Neverthe 
less,  I  stand  by  my  opinion  that  she's  not  a  safe 
woman  to  see  too  often.  However,  you're  master  of 
your  own  actions  and  that's  neither  here  nor  there." 

He  commenced  to  fumble  through  his  pockets. 
When  he  had  found  his  cigarette-case,  he  proffered 
it  to  Tabs,  who  refused  it. 

"I  wish  you'd  sit  down,  my  dear  fellow." 

Tabs  glanced  at  his  watch.  There  was  only  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  left  of  the  time  he  had  allotted. 
As  a  concession  to  Sir  Tobias  he  seated  himself. 
"It  was  about  General  Braithwaite  that  you  called 
me  up  last  night?" 

"Yes.  But  there's  no  hurry.  We  can  discuss 
that  over  lunch." 

Tabs  considered  that  the  time  had  come  to  be 
firm.  "I'm  sorry,  Sir  Tobias.  Terry's  lunching 
with  me.  We  start  in  something  less  than  fifteen 
minutes." 

Sir  Tobias  screwed  himself  round  and  surveyed 
his  future  son-in-law  with  a  mild  amazement.  For 
forty  years  he  had  been  accustomed  to  having  his 
own  way  unchallenged.  "Terry  can  wait."  He 
spoke  as  though  the  matter  was  now  settled.  "What 
I  have  to  tell  you  is  important." 

"And  so  is  what  I  have  to  tell  Terry."  Tabs 
emphasized  his  statement  by  glancing  again  at  his 
watch. 

For  a  few  seconds  Sir  Tobias  was  at  a  loss.  To 
hear  himself  opposed  was  a  novel  experience.  Then 
he  thought  he  had  discovered  a  consoling  reason 


KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

for  this  obstinacy  and  smiled  loftily,  as  Shakespeare 
retired  to  Stratford  might  have  smiled  at  hearing 
himself  reminded  by  Ann  Hathaway  that  he  was 
not  so  great  a  man  as  London  had  imagined. 

"Very  well,  my  dear  fellow,'*  he  conceded; 
"young  blood  will  have  its  way.  I  withdraw  for  this 
once,  since  your  plans  are  already  made." 

His  forgiveness  was  brushed  aside.  Time  was 
pressing.  Tabs  forced  him  to  the  point  without 
further  ceremony  or  waste  of  words.  "When  you 
phoned  yesterday  evening  it  was  nearly  midnight,  so 
the  matter  must  have  seemed  urgent.  You  said  that 
General  Braithwaite  had  been  to  see  you  on  a  fool's 
errand,  with  a  story  that  partly  concerned  myself. 
May  I  ask  how  it  concerned  me?" 

"You're  brusque,  very  brusque,"  Sir  Tobias  com 
plained.  "We  could  have  talked  this  over  much 
better  at  my  club." 

When  Tabs  showed  no  signs  of  relenting,  he  re 
vealed  his  real  feelings  testily.  "You  know  this 
fellow  Braithwaite.  You  must  have  recognized  him 
the  moment  you  clapped  eyes  on  him.  Why  didn't 
you  tell  me?" 

Tabs  looked  up  quickly,  taken  aback  and  slightly 
resentful  at  the  peremptory  tones  in  which  he  was 
addressed.  "It  wasn't  my  business.  Apart  from 
that,  I  was  aware  of  nothing  to  his  discredit." 
Once  again  as  in  the  case  of  Maisie,  he  was  allowing 
himself  to  be  goaded  out  of  justice  into  excessive 
generosity. 

"Nothing  to  his  discredit !  That  depends  on  your 
point  of  view."  Sir  Tobias  sniffed  audibly.  He 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  213 

could  be  as  a  rude  as  a  spoilt  child.  "That  depends 
on  how  deeply  interested  you're  in — in  my  daugh 
ter." 

"I  think  I  gave  you  proof  of  my  interest,  Sir 
Tobias,  the  other  evening  when  I  asked " 

"Pshaw!  You  know  very  well  what  I'm  driving 
at,  Taborley." 

"Nevertheless,  I  should  like  to  hear  you  put  it 
into  words." 

Sir  Tobias  gave  one  of  his  remarkable  exhibitions 
of  youthfulness.  Flinging  aside  his  decrepitude,  as 
though  it  had  been  no  more  than  an  affectation,  he 
shot  bolt  upright,  gripping  the  arms  of  his  chair. 
"Last  night,  within  a  handful  of  hours  of  my  for 
bidding  him  the  house,  he  had  the  impertinence  to 
call  here  to  inform  me  that  he  was  in  love  with  Terry. 
Not  content  with  that,  he  added  insult  to  his  im 
pertinence  by  telling  me  that  he  had  been  your  valet. 
How  is  it,  Taborley,  that  on  that  evening  when  you 
dined  here  as  his  fellow-guest,  you  never  once  hinted 
by  look  or  word  that  he  wasn't  the  part  he  was 
playing?  I  can't  consider  that  very  honorable  of 
you.  As  an  old  friend,  quite  apart  from  any  new 
relationship,  I  had  the  right  to  expect  that  my 
interests  were  nearer  to  your  heart.  It  upsets  me 
to  find  I  was  mistaken.  Have  you  so  little  pride  in 
the  girl  you  propose  to  marry  that  it  doesn't  offend 
you  to  see  her  gadding  about  with  ex-servants  ?  You 
saw  them  get  up  and  leave  the  table  that  night. 
You  heard  the  front-door  bang  and  knew  that  they'd 
gone  out  together — my  daughter  with  the  fellow  who 
used  to  put  the  studs  into  your  shirts!  And  there 


KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

you  sat  with  me,  sipping  your  coffee  and  chatting 
as  though  it  were  all  perfectly  right  and  normal. 
Upon  my  soul,  Taborley,  you're  beyond  my  com 
prehending.  If  I.  her  father,  can  feel  this  indigna 
tion,  what  ought  not  you  to  feel?  You're  supposed 
to  be  her  lover  and  you're  not  jealous.  Sx>  far  as 
I  can  see,  you're  not  even  disturbed." 

Tabs'  face  had  gone  suddenly  white.  He  acknowl 
edged  to  himself  that,  had  he  been  Terry's  father, 
he  would  have  said  no  less.  When  he  spoke  it  was 
with  quiet  intensity. 

"I  am  annoyed,  Sir  Tobias — a  good  deal  more 
annoyed  than  I  care  to  own  to  myself ;  but  I  try  not 
to  let  my  annoyance  obscure  my  sense  of  justice. 
It  isn't  fair  to  consider  Braithwaite  in  the  light  of  a 
servant.  He  isn't  a  servant;  he's  won  his  spurs. 
He  arrived  at  the  position  he  occupies  to-day 
through  original  and  unaided  merit.  That  the  man 
who  was  my  servant,  happens  to  be  my  rival,  is 
bitterly  galling.  But  I'm  not  going  to  let  it  blind 
me  to  the  fact  that  he  has  qualities  of  greatness. 
He  proved  those  qualities,  even  more  than  on  the 
battlefield,  when  he  came  to  you  and  pluckily  told 
you  the  truth  about  himself.  God  knows  what  he 
thought  to  gain  by  it ;  but  I'm  hats  off  to  him." 

Sir  Tobias  threw  out  his  hands  in  a  disowning 
gesture.  "I  don't  want  to  quarrel  with  you — that's 
the  last  thing  I  desire.  But  I  must  confess  that  I 
fail  to  sympathize  with  your  attitude  of  mind. 
Magnanimity  is  all  very  well,  but  it's  easy  to  be 
magnanimous  where  your  affections  aren't  too 
deeply  concerned.  A  man  in  love  has  no  right  to 


THE  AIR  OF  CONQUEST  215 

be  magnanimous — it  isn't  a  healthy  sign.  Lady 
Bcddow  used  those  very  words  to  me  this  morning. 
She  feels  as  I  do,  that  in  your  attitude  to  Terry  you 
lack  something.  You've  let  two  days  elapse  since 

you  asked  my  permission  to  approach  her 

You're  the  same  with  this  Maisie  woman — in 
humanly,  unsatisfactorily  magnanimous.  You 
don't  identify  yourself  with  our  antipathies — you 
almost  side  with  the  people  who  affront  us.  It's 
estranging  and  distressing.  I  like  a  man  to  be  more 
emphatic  in  his  loyalties  and  aversions.  I  like  him 
to  show  more  fire.  In  days  that  I  can  almost  re 
member,  Braithwaite's  intrusion  would  have  been  an 
occasion  for  a  duel.  Terry's  mother  feels  the  same 
about  you ;  it  makes  her  unhappy.  'He  lacks 
ardor' — that  was  how  she  expressed  it.  'Perhaps, 
after  all,  he's  too  old  for  Terry,'  she  said.  Person 
ally  I  don't  go  as  far  as  that." 

Now  that  he  had  made  an  end,  Sir  Tobias  at 
tempted  to  beam  on  Tabs  with  his  accustomed 
suavity.  He  was  skillful  in  saying  offensive  things 
with  an  air  of  consideration.  When  he  had  said, 
"Personally  I  don't  go  as  far  as  that,"  he  had  leant 
out  and  patted  Tabs'  hand  with  a  senile  display  of 
affection. 

Too  old  for  Terry!  Tabs  sat  pondering  the 
words.  They  voiced  his  own  doubt — the  doubt  that 
had  haunted  him  from  the  moment  of  his  return. 
The  antiquated  version  of  Shakespeare  sat  watching 
him,  plucking  at  his  pointed  beard  and  blinking  his 
faded  eyes  shrewdly. 

Suddenly  with  a  cavalier  smile  of  conquest,  which 


216      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

was  strangely  unwarranted,  Tabs  swung  himself  to 
his  feet.  "Well,  Sir  Tobias,  we've  talked  for  more 
than  our  half  hour.  After  all,  it  doesn't  matter  a 
continental  what  you,  or  I,  or  Lady  Beddow  feels. 
It's  Terry's  feelings  that  count.  I  shall  know  what 
she  feels  before  the  afternoon  is  ended." 

He  was  holding  out  his  hand  to  the  surprised  old 
gentleman,  when  the  door  opened  just  sufficiently  to 
admit  Terry's  head. 

"Come  on,  your  Lordship!"  she  laughed  mock 
ingly,  "you've  kept  me  waiting  long  enough." 


CHAPTER  THE  SIXTH 


TKAMPLED    ROSES 


AS  Tabs  emerged  from  his  interview  with  Sir 
Tobias,  he  found  Terry  standing  in  the  hall, 
doing  up  the  last  button  of  her  gloves.  James,  of 
the  velvet-plush  manners,  lost  no  time  in  proffering 
him  his  hat  and  cane,  and  in  flinging  the  front-door 
wide.  He  did  it  with  the  air  of  a  sentimentalist  who 
was  aiding  and  abetting  an  elopement.  Tabs  had 
the  feeling  as  he  limped  along  the  pavement  with 
Terry  tripping  at  his  side,  that  the  eyes  of  the 
house  which  they  had  left  followed  them — followed 
them  jealously,  romantically,  expectantly.  There 
was  only  one  way  in  which  they  could  give  satisfac 
tion  and  that  was  by  returning  to  it  engaged. 

"He  lacks  ardor.  Perhaps,  after  all,  he's  too 
old !"  Lady  Beddow's  criticism  drummed  in  his 
mind.  Not  very  pleasant  hearing! 

Silence  was  maintained  till  they  had  rounded  a 
corner  and  the  tall  buff  house  was  left  behind.  Then 
Terry  raised  a  shy,  laughing  face.  "Downcast, 
Tabs?  You  look  as  though  you  were  bearing  the 
sins  of  all  the  world." 

217 


218      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

"Not  of  all  the  world!"  he  corrected  gravely. 
"Only  of  three  people." 

"Then  I'm  one  of  them.    Who  are  the  other  two?" 

"You  know  already — Mrs.  Lockwood  and  Braith 
waite.  I  saved  all  your  necks,  but  I  broke  my  own." 

She  brushed  against  him  affectionately.  "Tabs, 
you're  a  trump." 

Her  praise  displeased  him.  "I  didn't  tell  you  for 
that." 

"Then  why?" 

"Because  I  thought  you  ought  to  know."  He 
slackened  his  pace.  "I  thought  you  ought  to  know 
that  your  father  isn't  as  keen  on  me  as  he  was, 
Terry." 

"That's  all  right,"  she  said  cheerily ;  "I  am.  But 
what  have  you  been  doing  to  Daddy?" 

"Describing  Mrs.  Lockwood  as  a  lady  above  re 
proach  and  accusing  him  of  uncharity  towards 
Braithwaite." 

She  tossed  her  head  and  laughed  outright.  "You 
have  become  converted !" 

"Converted !"  He  pondered  her  assertion.  "No. 
I'll  acknowledge  that  I  was  inclined  to  be  too  harsh 
at  first.  I  may  have  become  more  pitiful ;  but  I've 
not  become  converted,  if  by  that  you  mean  that  I 
condone  what  these  two  people  have  done.  I  still 
think  that  Mrs.  Lockwood's  conduct  with  Adair  was 
inexcusable  and  that  Braithwaite's  holding  back 
the  truth  from  you  was  dishonorable.  In  talking 
with  your  father  I  gave  Braithwaite  all  the  credit 
for  speaking  out  to  him  like  a  man,  and  I  let  him 
suppose  that  Mrs.  Lockwood  had  given  up  Adair 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  219 

unconditionally.  As  you  know,  Braithwaite  didn't 
come  up  to  scratch  till  I'd  handed  him  your  ulti 
matum  ;  and  Mrs.  Lockwood But  you  don't 

know  about  her  yet.  I  haven't  told  you." 

"I  know,"  Terry  smiled  roguishly.  "Maisie's  a 
great  abuser  of  the  telephone.  She  called  me  up 
this  morning  to  ask  whether  she  might  share  you 
with  me  for  a  few  weeks.  When  I  asked  her  why, 
she  said  to  help  her  to  forget  Adair.  Of  course  I 
consented." 

Tabs  looked  down  at  his  companion  to  see  whether 
her  last  remark  had  been  sarcastic;  to  his  discom 
fort  he  found  that  it  hadn't.  "I'm  not  sure  that  I 
like  to  be  lent  round  like  that,"  he  objected.  "I  was 
sorry  for  her  last  night  and  promised  to  help  her; 
but  this  phoning  you  up  to  ask  your  permission  puts 
an  entirely  erroneous  complexion  on  the  affair." 

"Not  erroneous  if  I  understand,"  she  assured  him, 
glancing  up  with  tender  frankness. 

He  smiled  at  the  way  she  cozened  him.  Was  she 
willing  to  lend  him  to  another  woman  because  she 
was  so  sure  of  him,  or  because  she  didn't  care  whether 
she  lost  him? 

"Your  father  suspects  me  of  being  lukewarm 
about  you,"  he  said;  "and  I  can't  blame  him.  He 
knows  nothing  about  our  meeting  yesterday.  He 
doesn't  know  that  you  care  for  Braithwaite.  All 
he  knows  is  that  I  asked  his  permission  to  approach 
you  and  then  let  two  days  elapse.  When  I  did  come 
to  his  house  again  it  was  to  defend  the  two  people 
who  have  caused  him  most  annoyance.  My  reason 
for  defending  them  was  that  I  might  make  things 


220     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

easier  for  you.  But  my  position  is  false,  Terry. 
Every  day  your  parents  are  expecting  that  we'll 
become  engaged;  every  day  that  we  don't " 

They  had  come  to  the  Marble  Arch.  "Shall  we 
hop  into  a  taxi?"  he  enquired 

She  shook  her  head.  "Let's  walk  a  little  far 
ther — down  to  Hyde  Park  Corner.  It's  easier  to 
say  things." 

When  he  had  helped  her  through  the  traffic  and 
they  were  sauntering  through  the  Park,  she  took 
up  the  thread  of  their  conversation.  "I  told  you 
yesterday  that  I  was  willing  to  become  engaged  to 
you.  I'm  willing  to-day." 

"Willing!"  he  emphasized.  "But  you  don't  want. 
The  man  you  love  is  Braithwaite.  What  difference 
has  this  confession  of  his  made?" 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  looked  away,  so 
that  he  should  not  see  the  quivering  of  her  mouth. 
"It's  made  everything  impossible.  I  admire  him 
more  than  ever.  I  admire  him  for  having  told  the 
truth  and  for  having  climbed  so  far  up  by  his  gal 
lantry.  But I'm  no  fool,  Tabs.  I  know  that 

I  couldn't  marry  him  without  briefing  ridicule  upon 
all  of  us.  Noble  notions  about  human  equality  don't 
work  in  practice.  He's  what  he  is — fine  of  his  kind. 
He's  finer  than  you  or  I,  Tabs,  only  he's  not  our 
sort.  He  couldn't  ever  become  our  sort.  If  I  were 
as  big  as  he  is,  I  might  not  mind.  But  I'm  little  and 
mean;  I  care  so  much  for  caste.  And  yet,  in  spite 
of  that,  I  want  to  marry  him.  I  oughtn't  to  tell 
you,  of  all  people.  But  I  can't  tell  him  and  I  can't 
tell  any  one — any  one  but  you,  Tabs,  I  want  him 


TRAMPLED  ROSES 

so  much  that  I'm  ashamed  sometimes.  I  wouldn't 
have  my  people  know  it,  so  you  must  stick  by  me. 
Do  at  least  as  much  for  me  as  you  promised  to  do 
for  Maisie — stay  with  me  till  I  can  forget  him." 
And  then  she  added  ruefully,  "It  isn't  much  fun  for 
you  after  all  you'd  expected." 

He  couldn't  afford  to  let  her  become  emotional. 
Riders  and  smart  equipages  were  passing.  Several 
times  already  they  had  been  recognized.  The  intro 
duction  of  Maisie's  name  supplied  him  with  a  loop 
hole.  "Mrs.  Lockwood  rather  adds  to  our  compli 
cation.  If  I'm  not  engaged  to  you  and  I  see  some 
thing  of  her,  your  father  will  never  understand.  If 
I  were  your  father,  I  wouldn't.  To  be  perfectly 
frank,  he  thinks  already  that  I'm  lenient  to  Maisie 
only  because  she's  good-looking " 

Terry  didn't  permit  him  to  get  further.  "Daddy's 
probably  right.  Be  honest,  Tabs.  Would  you  have 
stood  up  for  her,  if  you'd  found  her  fat  and  forty? 
Of  course  you  wouldn't.  Maisie's  a  dear,  but  she's 
dangerous.  She  can't  help  being  dangerous ;  it's 
half  her  attraction.  By  the  way,  we've  been  walking 
entirely  in  the  wrong  direction." 

They  had  come  out  by  Hyde  Park  Corner.  "How 
do  you  make  that  out?"  he  asked.  "I  thought  we 
would  lunch  at  the  Ritz." 

She  began  to  apologize.  "Before  I  met  you  this 
morning,  I'd  arranged  for  us  to  lunch  with  her — 
I  mean  with  Maisie.  You  don't  mind,  do  you?  I 
was  speaking  with  her  over  the  phone  and  she  said 
we  must  come  because  she  didn't  feel  safe." 

"She  said  that  to  you,  too !     She  said  the  same 


222     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

thing  to  me.     But  you  and  I,  do  we  want  her?" 
Terry  nodded,  making  her  eyes  wide.     "We'll  all 
make  each  other  more  safe.     That's  what  friends 
are  for.    I  told  her  we'd  be  at  her  house  by  one." 

"If  you  told  her  that "  He  was  trying  to  dis 
cover  whether  he  was  relieved  or  disappointed.  With 
an  eagerness  which  it  was  hard  to  account  for,  he 
was  wondering  whether  Lady  Dawn  would  be  there. 
He  pulled  out  his  watch.  "Twelve-forty-five.  We 
can  just  do  it  in  a  taxi.  If  you  told  her  that,  we'd 
better  stick  to  your  plans." 

He  hailed  a  driver  who  was  passing  and  helped 
her  into  the  cab. 

II 

As  he  and  Terry  chugged  their  way  to  Mulberry 
Tree  Court  he  eyed  her,  sitting  beside  him.  Would 
he  ever  get  her?  If  he  did,  would  she  prove  to  be 
one  of  his  really  big  things?  All  men  must  have 
thought  that  their  wives  would  be  the  really  big 
things  in  their  lives  before  they  married  them.  How 
many  of  them  thought  that  six  months  after  they 
were  married?  There  was  Adair,  for  instance.  But 
his  wife  was  going  to  be  the  big  thing — on  that  he 
was  determined. 

And  yet,  it  wasn't  very  big  of  Terry  to  be  using 
him  as  a  stalking-horse  for  her  love  for  Braith- 
waite;  he  felt  morally  certain  that  that  was  what 
she  was  doing.  She  hadn't  acknowledged  to  having 
seen  him,  but  Tabs  felt  instinctively  that  she  had 
seen  him.  He  also  felt  that  within  the  next  twenty- 
four  hours  she  would  be  seeing  him  again.  It  was 


TRAMPLED  ROSES 

impossible  for  him  to  accuse  her  of  clandestine  meet 
ings  of  which  he  had  no  proof ;  at  the  same  time  he 
was  distressed  by  the  restraint  that  was  put  upon 
himself.  As  things  were,  anything  might  happen. 
When  it  did  happen,  it  would  happen  suddenly  and 
he  would  be  in  a  measure  to  blame. 

And  here  again,  in  this  luncheon  with  Maisie,  he 
was  being  made  a  party  to  her  policy  of  secrecy. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  that  Sir  Tobias  was  in 
ignorance  of  her  continual  correspondence  with 
Maisie. 

He  looked  at  her.  How  near  she  seemed  to  him 
and  yet  in  reality  what  miles  away !  He  could  listen 
to  her  voice.  He  could  touch  her.  But  he  could  not 
foresee  a  single  one  of  her  future  actions.  She  was 
remote  and  strange  and  dear.  She  had  offered  to 
become  engaged  to  him,  but  she  was  no  part  of  him. 
She  filled  him  with  discomfort  and  unrest.  For  the 
first  time  he  dared  to  frame  his  charge  against  her. 
It  was  in  almost  the  same  words  as  the  charge  which 
she  herself  had  brought  against  Braithwaite.  He 
could  love  her  so  that  it  seemed  that  if  he  did  not 
win  her,  he  would  never  be  able  to  love  any  other 
woman ;  but  he  could  not  trust  her.  He  began  to 
question  whether  she  had  ever  been  the  woman  he 
had  tried  to  think  her.  Perhaps  she  was  only  a 
dummy  and  his  imagination  had  clothed  her  with 
affection.  He  had  attributed  to  her  adorable  quali 
ties 

When  all  was  said,  how  little  he  really  knew  about 
her!  His  need  of  her  fought  with  his  sense  of  dis 
cretion.  It  was  not  dignified  that  a  man  of  his  posi- 


tion  and  years  should  allow  himself  to  become  a 
shuttlecock  in  the  hands  of  her  capricious  inexperi 
ence.  Would  he  ever  be  able  to  bridge  that  gulf  of 
years!  Lady  Beddow's  unhappy  criticism  haunted 
him.  "He  lacks  ardor."  Perhaps  she  was  right;  ex 
perience  should  marry  experience  and  inexperience 
inexperience. 

As  they  sped  down  the  Brompton  Road,  they 
passed  the  end  of  Honeymoon  Square.  In  the  en 
closed  garden  among  spring  flowers  children  were 
still  playing.  Scattered  here  and  there,  under  the 
thin  shade  of  blossoming  trees,  he  caught  glimpses  of 
white  prams  with  their  attendant  nurses.  The  little 
houses — his  own  among  them — stood  all  a-row, 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  looking  intensely  smiling  and 
habitable.  His  imagination  reconjured  all  the  mid 
nights  they  had  witnessed — the  home-comings  under 
cover  of  darkness,  the  secret  endearments  of  lovers, 
the  muffled  laughter.  Then  he  remembered  his  own 
dream,  which  he  had  planned  to  share  with  her.  It 
was  intolerable  that  it  should  escape  conversion  into 
reality. 

It  seemed  little  short  of  marvelous  that  she  should 
still  sit  beside  him.  She  should  have  vanished  with 
the  Square.  Had  he  given  her  a  name,  he  would 
have  called  her  his  lady  in  heliotrope,  for  she  was 
dressed  in  a  heliotrope  gown,  trimmed  round  the  hem 
and  throat  with  gray  opossum  and  topped  with  a 
little  close-fitting  turban  of  color  and  fur  to  match. 
She  looked  so  dainty  and  subtly  haughty,  so  austere 
in  her  virginal  beauty,  that  it  seemed  to  him  he  must 
have  wronged  her  with  his  silent  conjectures. 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  225 

"You're  more  than  ordinarily  pretty  to-day/'  he 
said. 

"Am  I?  What  you  mean,  I  suppose,  is  that  you 
like  my  gown.  It's  a  new  one.  I'm  wearing  it  for 
the  first  time,  especially  for  you." 

She  turned  her  laughing  face  towards  him,  violet 
eyes,  flushed  cheeks,  golden  hair,  white  teeth — every 
thing  aflash  with  instant  gratitude.  The  discovery 
of  how  easily  he  could  command  her  happiness 
touched  him. 

"Can  I  make  you  as  merry  as  all  that  just  by 
telling  you  you're  beautiful?" 

She  compressed  her  lips  and  nodded.  "It's  not 
being  told.  That  doesn't  matter.  It's  being  told 
by  you." 

lie  felt  for  the  moment  that  he  had  recovered  her 
— that  he  had  bridged  the  gulf  of  the  years  that 
divided.  Before  anything  further  could  be  said,  they 
were  halting  in  Mulberry  Tree  Court. 

Ill 

On  entering  the  house  with  the  marigold-tinted 
curtains  he  had  glanced  round  casually  for  any  signs 
of  Lady  Dawn.  After  Porter  had  shown  him  into 
the  drawing-room  Terry  had  left  him  to  go  in  search 
of  Maisie.  He  walked  over  to  the  tall  French- 
windows  and  found  himself  once  more  gazing  out  on 
the  garden-rockery  with  its  oval  lake,  its  silent  foun 
tain  and  its  toy-boat  that  never  sailed  anywhere. 
He  made  an  effort  to  continue  gazing  out,  for  his 
impulse  was  to  turn  and  look  at  the  portrait  over 


226  KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

the  fireplace.  He  tantalized  himself  by  trying  to 
ignore  it.  But  it  was  strange  the  fascination  that 
it  held  for  him.  He  had  the  feeling  that  behind 
his  back  the  face  had  changed  from  the  profile  posi 
tion  in  which  it  had  been  painted,  so  that  the  steady 
stone-gray  eyes  were  challenging  his  attention.  At 
last  he  resisted  no  longer;  walking  over  to  the  fire 
place,  he  stood  gazing  up  at  it. 

For  a  moment  he  tried  to  pretend  to  himself  that 
his  interest  was  purely  an  art-interest.  It  was 
Sargent's  brush-work  that  he  was  admiring.  Then 
he  smiled,  as  much  to  the  portrait  as  to  himself. 
"Princess  Czarina  Bolsheviki,"  he  murmured,  "were 
you  really  looking  at  me  when  my  back  was  turned? 
Did  you  flash  your  eyes  away  directly  I  obeyed  your 
desire?  It's  the  trick  of  every  woman;  but  you're 
not  like  every  woman,  Princess  Czarina  Bolsheviki." 

It  seemed  to  him  almost  as  though  the  woman  on 
the  canvas  was  about  to  relax  her  pose  and  quiver 
into  life.  The  longer  he  looked,  the  less  aloof  she 
became  and  the  more  her  serenity  trembled.  He  felt 
that  he  knew  so  much  about  her — so  very  much  more 
than  he  had  ever  been  told.  There  were  experiences 
of  pride  and  terror  which  were  common  to  them  both 
— the  pride  and  terror  of  appalling  heart-hunger. 
He  knew  for  certain,  as  though  those  painted  lips 
had  confessed  it,  that  he  was  the  one  man  in  the 
world  who  had  the  power  to  make  her  cry.  And 
yet  he  dissociated  in  his  mind  the  woman  of  the 
portrait  from  the  woman  who  had  slipped  past  him 
out  of  the  night  with  the  taunting,  sideways  smile 
of  feminine  triumph.  The  living  woman  could  wound 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  227 

and  disappoint;  the  woman  of  the  portrait  was  his 
friend  entirely. 

He  was  startled  out  of  the  mood  into  which  he 
had  fallen  by  the  sound  of  footsteps  crossing  the 
hall.  He  was  not  going  to  be  discovered  in  that 
position  by  Maisie  for  a  second  time.  Pie  had  barely 
recovered  his  place  by  the  French  window,  when  she 
and  Terry  entered  laughing.  It  would  have  been 
easy  to  have  mistaken  them  for  sisters,  with  their 
golden  heads  and  clear  complexions.  Directly  he 
caught  sight  of  them  he  guessed  by  the  mischief  in 
their  eyes  that  their  laughter  had  been  at  his  ex 
pense.  It  was  Terry  who  spoke.  "Oh,  Tabs,  how 
could  you?  It  was  like  a  little  frightened  boy." 

He  glanced  from  one  to  the  other  of  them  for 
further  enlightenment.  "Do  what?  If  you'll  let  me 
know,  I'll  tell  you." 

"Run  away,  like  you  did  last  night,"  Maisie  ex 
plained.  "I've  just  been  describing  it  to  Terry. 
There  was  I  sitting  on  the  couch  when  Di  entered. 
The  first  thing  she  asked  me  was,  'Who's  your  new 
butler?'  I  wouldn't  tell  her.  'He'll  be  here  in  a 
minute,'  I  said;  'I'll  introduce  him  to  you.'  We 
waited  for  about  a  minute  and,  when  you  didn't 
come,  I  went  out  into  the  hall.  'Pie's  gone,  Madam,' 
Porter  told  me  in  her  most  Mayfair  manner. 
*Gone !'  I  exclaimed.  'Pie  can't  have  gone  without 
saying  good-by.'  But  I  was  afraid  you  had,  so  I 
went  on  to  the  steps  and  called  after  you.  I  don't 
know  whether  you  heard  me.  When  I  came  back 
into  the  drawing-room,  Di  was  smiling.  'I've  read 
about  lordly  butlers,'  she  said,  'but  it's  the  first 


228     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

time  I  ever  met  one.'  So  there  you  are!  You  can 
imagine  what  a  trouble  I  had  to  clear  myself.  I 
only  downed  her  suspicions  when  I  assured  her  that 
you  were  on  the  point  of  becoming  engaged  to 
Terry." 

Instantly  Terry's  eyes  sought  his;  the  laughter 
died  out  of  them.  He  shared  her  annoyance  that 
Lady  Dawn  should  have  received  this  piece  of  infor 
mation — Lady  Dawn  of  all  persons.  He  wasn't  en 
gaged  to  Terry.  He  was  a  long  way  from  being 
engaged  to  her — perhaps  further  at  this  moment 
than  since  his  return. 

The  silence  that  followed  made  Maisie  aware  that 
she  had  been  guilty  of  a  mistake.  He  suspected  that 
she  had  intended  to  be  guilty  of  it  from  the  start. 
Nevertheless,  she  played  the  part  of  innocence,  mak 
ing  her  cornflower  eyes  eloquent  with  apology. 
"Oh,  I'm  afraid  I've  put  my  foot  in  it.  But  you  are 
almost  engaged,  aren't  you?" 

Tabs  laughed  good-humoredly.  "It's  all  right, 
Mrs.  Lockwood.  You  didn't  mean  to,  but  you've 
paid  me  back  in  more  than  my  own  coin." 

Porter  relieved  the  tension  at  that  moment  by 
announcing  that  lunch  was  served. 

When  they  had  taken  their  seats  in  the  front- 
room,  overlooking  the  make-believe  village-green, 
Terry  surprised  them  by  saying  carelessly,  "Oh, 
Maisie,  you  remember  General  Braithwaite  whom  we 
nursed  in  our  hospital?" 

Maisie  looked  up  sharply,  trying  to  warn  her 
that  Porter  was  still  present.  "Of  course  I  remem 
ber  him,"  she  said.  "Since  then  we've  both  met  him 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  229 

a  hundred  times.  I  think  Lord  Taborley  would  like 
some  bread,  Porter." 

But  Terry  wasn't  to  be  deterred.  She  seemed  to 
be  taking  a  perverse  delight  in  introducing  the  one 
subject  on  which  it  would  have  been  most  fitting  for 
her  to  have  remained  silent.  "Since  Tabs  came  back 
we've  found  out  all  about  the  General.  You'll  never 
guess  who  he  really  is  or  was.  It's  difficult  to  say 
whether  he  is  or  was,  now  that  he's  demobilized.'* 

Tabs  recognized  the  blaze  of  recklessness  in  her 
eyes,  like  the  glare  of  lighted  windows  after  night 
fall  from  which  the  curtains  have  been  suddenly 
thrown  back.  He  had  seen  that  look  in  her  eyes  at 
the  hunt  when,  in  disobedience  to  shouted  warnings, 
she  had  looked  back  across  her  shoulder  challeng- 
ingly  before  taking  an  audacious  jump.  There  was 
in  her  expression  the  fear  of  the  thing  she  was  about 
to  do  and  the  panic  of  determination  to  get  it 
done.  He  attempted  to  turn  her  aside  from  the 
danger  by  slipping  in  quietly,  "I  don't  think  I'd 
discuss  the  General  at  this  moment." 

"At  this  moment !"  she  flashed  back  with  a  scared 
smile.  The  sound  of  her  own  voice  seemed  to  clap 
spurs  to  her  excitement.  "Why  not  at  this  moment, 
dear  Tabs?  Everything  comes  out  sooner  or  later. 
If  there's  going  to  be  any  spreading  of  gossip,  one 
takes  the  sting  out  of  it  by  being  the  first  to  spread 
it.  Besides,  you  oughtn't  to  mind.  You  ought  to 
feel  most  frightfully  bucked." 

"Nevertheless,  I  don't  think  I'd  say  it." 

Then  he  held  his  breath  for,  paying  no  heed  to 
him,  she  had  turned  to  Maisie.  "You  mustn't  laugh, 


230     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

but  it's  too  good  to  keep  to  oneself.  Before  he  was 
a  General,  what  do  you  think  he  did  for  a  living? 
He  used  to  clean  Lord  Taborley's  boots.  You  don't 
believe  it,  but  it's  a  fact.  Daddy's  terribly  grim 
with  me  over  it.  Of  course  it  was  infra  dig  to  go 
footing  all  over  town  with  your  best  friend's  valet. 
But  how  was  I  to  know  that  he'd  been  that?  Daddy 
says  I  ought  to  have  sensed  it,  if  I'd  had  any  sort  of 
a  social  instinct.  But  here's  the  funniest  thing  of  all, 
the  way  we  made  the  discovery.  I'd  invited  him  to 
dine  at  our  house  on  the  very  night  that  Tabs  was 
Daddy's  guest.  I'll  never  forget  your  faces,  Tabs, 
when  Daddy  introduced  the  two  of  you."  She  com 
menced  to  pantomime  the  scene  with  forced  gayety; 
then  she  pretended  to  become  aware  for  the  first  time 
that  they  weren't  joining  in  her  laughter. 

"What's  wrong?  You  look  as  solemn  as  a  funeral. 
Don't  you  find  it  amusing?" 

Porter  was  leaving  the  room.  Maisie  waited  till 
the  door  had  closed.  Then,  "You  didn't  intend  it  to 
be  amusing.  Why  on  earth  did  you  say  all  this  be 
fore  her?" 

Under  the  rebuke  Terry's  face  flushed  defiance. 
She  was  near  to  tears,  but  she  contrived  to  go  on 
smiling.  "When  I  want  all  the  world  to  know  any 
thing  that's  private,  I  mention  it  before  servants. 
It  always  works." 

"But Maisie  was  at  a  loss  to  find  a  motive 

for  such  indiscretion.  She  glanced  helplessly  at 
Tabs.  "But,"  she  objected,  "surely  you  don't  want 
all  the  world  to  know  about  this,  Terry?  You  and 
the  General  have  been  such  good  pals,  and I 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  231 

have  to  say  it,  even  though  Lord  Taborley  is  pres 
ent:  there  were  a  great  number  of  your  friends 
who  were  rather  afraid " 

"Then  they  won't  have  to  be  afraid  any  longer," 
Terry  cut  in  with  icy  sweetness.  "When  it's  re 
ported  to  the  General  that  I've  told  this  story,  he 
won't  have  to  be  rather  afraid  either.  It'll  set  all 
his  doubts  at  rest." 

Tabs  had  sat  puzzled  and  horrified  while  she  had 
been  talking.  Everything  that  he  could  remember 
about  her  was  gentle;  it  wasn't  like  her  to  be  cruel. 
Now  at  last  he  realized  that  it  was  for  his  sake  that 
she  was  being  cruel — far  more  cruel  to  herself  than 
to  any  one  else.  She  had  so  little  faith  in  her 
strength  to  break  with  Braithwaite  that  she  was 
building  up  a  protective  wall  of  contempt  by  the 
spread  of  this  damaging  story.  If  Braithwaite 
heard  it,  she  might  well  hope  to  rouse  his  hatred  and 
save  herself  further  effort. 

From  across  the  table  her  eyes  sought  his  in  ap 
peal  ;  his  answered  hers  with  intuitive  comprehension. 
But  his  mind  was  stunned  with  apprehension  at  the 
discovery  that  her  passion  for  this  man  meant  so 
much  that  his  hate  would  be  a  lighter  burden  than 
his  love. 

Maisie  turned  to  Tabs  with  veiled  disdain.  "I 
suppose  it  was  you  who  told  her  this,  Lord  Tabor- 
ley?" 

He  paid  her  scant  attention  and  continued  look 
ing  at  Terry.  "On  the  contrary."  He  spoke  with 
unruffled  urbanity.  "It  was  General  Braithwaite — 
Steely  Jack  as  he  was  nicknamed  in  the  Army.  He 


KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

never  lost  an  inch  of  trench,  so  they  say.  Like  your 
own  first  husband,  Mrs.  Lockwood,  he's  most  to  be 
feared  when  every  one  else  would  have  given  up 
hoping.  Like  myself,  though  he  doesn't  know  it, 
he's  a  round-the-corner  person.  Curious,  Terry, 
that  you  should  have  attracted  two  round-the-corner 
admirers!  It  makes  one  almost  believe  that  you're 
a  round-the-corner  person  yourself.'* 

He  had  said  it  without  consciousness  of  magna 
nimity.  There  was  nothing  magnanimous  about 
stating  the  truth  according  to  his  code  of  honor. 
He  was  seeing  the  bleak  look  that  would  come  into 
Braithwaite's  face  should  he  hear  of  this  happening. 
He  was  wondering  whether  Braithwaite  possessed  the 
insight  into  feminine  strategy  not  to  take  offense, 
but  to  interpret  it  as  surrender. 

Terry  was  speaking  again.  "My  dear  Maisie,  if 
ever  you  get  to  know  Lord  Taborley,  you'll  learn 
to  have  a  better  opinion  of  him.  He  plays  with  all 
his  cards  on  the  table.  I  think  most  men  play  like 
that.  It's  we  women  who  cheat  and  carry  spare 
aces  and  revoke  when  the  game's  going  against  us." 
Then  came  her  amazing  burst  of  frankness,  "Like 
you  did  when,  to  suit  your  own  purpose,  you  pre 
tended  that  we  were  on  the  point  of  becoming  en 
gaged.  Like  I  did  when  I  told  that  story  just  now 
about  Steely  Jack.  And  again  like  you've  done  all 
along  in  your  dealings  with  Adair.  Why,  even  now, 
when  you're  ready  to  give  him  up,  you  can't  play  the 
cards  that  are  on  the  table ;  you  have  to  try  to  bor 
row  Lord  Taborley  from  me.  Don't  get  angry. 
I'm  not  accusing  you  especially.  We  women  are  all 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  233 

the  same;  there's  not  one  of  us  who  can  stick  to  the 
rules  of  the  game."  Her  glance  shifted  to  Tabs. 
"You  used  to  think  that  I  was  the  exception.  You 
see,  I'm  not.  The  wonder  is  that  men  can  even  pre 
tend  to  respect  us." 

Long  after  she  had  finished  and  the  conversation 
had  taken  a  new  turn,  she  went  on  gazing  at  him, 
raising  and  lowering  her  eyes  as  she  ate  her  lunch, 
begging  him  to  understand. 

"You're  wrong,  Terry."  In  her  capacity  as 
hostess,  Maisie  was  making  an  attempt  to  get  away 
from  personalities.  She  was  too  convicted  by  what 
had  been  said  to  consider  it  wise  to  defend  herself. 
"You're  wrong.  Men  don't  want  to  respect  us. 
They  love  us  for  having  faults  that  they  wouldn't 
tolerate  in  themselves.  They  encourage  us  to  culti 
vate  them.  It  flatters  their  integrity  to  discover  our 
dishonesties.  They  like  to  believe  that  we're  cow 
ards.  They  don't  expect  us  to  tell  the  truth.  They 
almost  resent  our  having  a  sense  of  honor.  The 
woman  who  cheats  at  every  turn  and  then  cries  in 
their  arms  when  she's  found  out,  is  the  kind  of 
woman  who  always  htfs  a  man  to  take  care  of  her. 
Look  at  my  sister,  Lady  Dawn.  She's  never  been 
known  to  cry.  She's  missed  everything  in  life 
through  being  almost  repellently  honorable." 

In  the  discussion  that  followed  Tabs  took  no  part, 
though  he  was  often  appealed  to  for  an  opinion. 
As  he  listened  to  their  modulated  flow  of  voices,  their 
refined  and  gentle  intonations,  their  evasive,  slyly 
uttered  words,  he  began  to  have  an  understanding  of 
what  was  taking  place.  It  was  something  primitive 


234     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

— the  oldest  of  all  battles.  Neither  of  them  wanted 
him,  but  each  was  prompted  to  covet  the  pretense 
of  his  possession.  Their  hunting  instincts  were 
aroused.  He  had  taken  on  a  sudden  value  in  their 
eyes  because  each  had  discovered  that  the  other  was 
in  pursuit  of  him. 

His  thoughts  went  back  to  Lady  Dawn — to  her 
pale  aloofness.  She  wasn't  like  this — she  was  differ 
ent  from  all  other  women.  It  was  ridiculous  that  he 
should  be  so  sure  that  she  was  different  when  his 
only  proof  was  a  portrait,  quite  certainly  idealized. 
He  began  to  argue  with  himself  again  as  to  whether 
he  ought  to  seek  her  out  and  endanger  her  serenity 
by  telling  her  about  Lord  Dawn.  It  would  be  use 
less  to  confide  such  intentions  to  Maisie.  He  would 
obtain  no  help  from  her.  She  could  conceive  of  no 
sympathy  between  a  man  and  woman  into  which  sex 
did  not  enter.  The  thought  of  sex  in  connection 
with  Lady  Dawn  seemed  an  impertinence. 

The  discussion  went  on.  Luncheon  was  at  an  end. 
Coffee  had  been  served.  Cigarettes  were  being 
lighted.  Again  and  again  he  was  referred  to.  Did 
he  think  this  and  didn't  he  agree  to  that?  Wasn't 
this  true  of  the  way  in  which  men  regarded  women? 
Their  differences  of  opinion  seemed  so  trivial.  Their 
views  so  immature  and  amateurish.  He  watched 
them  with  curious,  brooding  attention.  They  were 
so  nobly  tender  in  their  outward  forms.  He  appre 
ciated  the  grace  of  their  gestures,  the  fine-boned 
smallness  of  their  bodies,  the  delicacy  of  their  mold 
ing,  the  tendril  thinness  of  their  fingers,  the  sagacity 
of  their  tiny  aristocratic  heads,  the  seduction  of 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  235 

their  soft  red  mouths,  the  poetry  of  the  fringe  of 
golden  lashes  in  which  the  pathos  of  their  eyes  hung 
enmeshed — their  intrusive,  penetrating  frailty, 
which  supplicated,  denounced  and  astounded.  They 
were  so  weak  and  yet  so  strong.  A  man  could  crush 
them  with  one  arm.  But  they  could  slay  a  man's 
soul  with  their  sweetness.  They  were  equipped  in 
every  detail  by  their  pale  perfection  to  quicken  and 
to  disappoint.  To  disappoint !  That  was  what  they 
had  been  trying  to  persuade  him  for  the  past  half- 
hour — that  they  were  Nature's  traps,  cunningly  con 
trived  and  baited.  The  Philistines  be  upon  tJiee, 
Samson!  Their  self-traductions  were  undermining 
his  faith  in  all  sacredness. 

In  the  silence  of  his  brain  he  fought — fought 
against  disillusion,  claiming  exemption  for  at  least 
one  woman  from  these  sweeping  denunciations — the 
woman  in  the  portrait. 

A  man  had  been  passing  and  repassing  the  win 
dows,  cut  into  triangles  by  the  looped  back,  mari 
gold-tinted  curtains.  At  first  he  had  mistaken  him 
for  a  different  man  each  time  he  had  passed.  Then 
the  lazy  certainty  had  grown  up  within  him  that  it 
was  always  the  same  man.  A  man  who  wanted  some 
thing — wanted  something  that  was  in  that  house. 
It  wasn't  possible  to  make  out  his  features.  He 
wore  a  morning-coat  and  was  top-hatted.  The 
swing  of  his  carriage  was  indefinitely  familiar. 

And  now  he  had  vanished — lost  courage,  lost 
patience,  given  up  his  quest,  perhaps.  Through  the 
triangular  gaps  in  the  panes  the  village-green 
showed  untraversed,  sunlit,  tranquil,  garnished. 


236     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Without  knocking  Porter  entered,  looking  wor» 
ried. 

Maisie  broke  off  from  her  conversation  long 
enough  to  say,  "A  little  later,  Porter.  We're  not 
finished.'* 

She  was  resuming,  when  Porter  again  interrupted. 
"It  isn't  that,  Madam.  It  isn't " 

"Then  what  is  it?" 

With  an  elaborate  air  of  caution  Porter  closed 
the  door  and  set  her  back  against  it.  "I've  told  him 
that  it's  no  good.  That  you  won't  see  him,  Madam." 

"Of  course  not.  That's  quite  right."  Maisie  be 
stowed  her  approval  with  rapid  tolerance.  "I  can't 
see  any  one  at  present."  Then,  as  an  after-thought, 
"By  the  way,  who  is  it?" 

It  was  then  that  Porter  let  fall  her  bomb.  "It's 
no  good  my  telling  him.  He  won't  go  away."  Her 
firmness  crumbled.  She  bleated  in  a  dramatic  sur 
render  to  distress.  The  three  who  heard  her  caught 
the  commotion  of  her  alarm  and  waited  breathless. 
Her  explanation  came  at  last.  "It's  Mr.  Easter- 
dav."  The  moment  she  had  said  it,  she  turned  and 
fled. 

The  door  had  scarcely  closed,  when  Maisie  rose 
from  her  chair  and  stood  swaying.  She  sank  back, 
closing  her  eyes  and  pressing  her  hands  against  her 
breast.  The  mask  of  placidity  had  been  wrenched 
from  her  face,  leaving  it  blanched  with  the  conflict 
between  yearning,  temptation  and  loneliness. 

"Adair!"  she  moaned.  "My  God,  I  daren't  trust 
myself  !'y 

Unclosing  her  eyes,  she  gazed  burningly  at  Tabs. 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  237 

"I  was  honest  in  what  I  promised.  I  do  want  to  live 
as  though  Reggie  weren't  dead.  How  did  you  put 
it?  As  though  he  were  round  the  corner.  As 
though  he  were  truly  coming  back." 

In  the  silence  that  followed  she  stifled  a  sob, 
realizing  that  it  wasn't  Tabs  who  was  the  obstacle. 
Turning  hysterically  to  Terry,  she  laid  hold  of  both 
her  hands.  "I  can't  do  it — can't,  can't  by  myself. 
I  can  only  do  it  if  you'll  tell  Lord  Taborley  to  help 
me." 

IV 

At  a  nod  from  Terry  he  left  the  table.  In  the  hall 
he  found  an  odd  sight  waiting  for  him.  He  had  to 
look  twice  to  make  certain  that  this  was  the  Adair 
Easterday  whom  he  had  known,  and  not  a  strayed 
and  beflustered  wedding-guest. 

The  man  before  him  was  worried  to  distraction. 
He  had  the  unhappy,  panic-stricken  eyes  of  an  over 
driven  bullock  that  scents  the  slaughterhouse.  And 
yet  his  dress  was  immaculate ;  he  was  tailored  and 
laundered  as  though  for  an  occasion  of  joy.  Every 
thing  that  he  wore  was  discreetly  festive,  from  the 
lavender  gloves  and  shiny  topper  to  the  striped 
trousers  and  canvas  spats.  One  would  have  said 
that  he  was  a  caricature  of  George  Grossmith  on  his 
way  to  a  garden-party. 

But  he  was  hot — terribly  hot ;  far  more  hot  than 
he  had  any  excuse  for  being  in  brisk  spring  weather. 
There  were  beads  of  perspiration  on  his  forehead; 
his  face  was  congested  with  excitement.  To  lend 
the  touch  of  humor,  which  always  lurks  behind  other 


238     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

people's  tragedies,  he  held  his  top-hat  by  the  brim 
in  his  right  hand,  as  though  he  were  taking  a  collec 
tion,  while  from  his  left,  like  a  feather-duster,  trailed 
an  enormous  bunch  of  roses.  He  was  a  short  man 
in  the  late  thirties,  red-headed  and  inclined  to  be 
podgy.  He  was  not  built  to  express  poetic  passions 
— how  many  of  us  are,  if  it  comes  to  that? — or  to 
sustain  their  onslaught  with  dignity.  Emotion 
seemed  to  have  bloated  him  with  unshed  tears.  There 
was  nothing  noble  in  his  distress — only  a  farcical 
appearance  of  wretchedness. 

As  Tabs  crossed  the  hall  to  the  front-door,  just 
inside  of  which  Adair  was  standing,  he  felt  an  unde 
served  compassion  for  him — the  kind  of  compassion 
one  feels  for  a  clumsy  dog,  which  is  always  getting 
under  people's  feet.  At  the  same  time  he  couldn't 
help  marveling  that  there  should  be  two  women  at 
the  same  time  in  the  world  who  were  willing  to  com 
pete  for  such  a  man's  affections. 

"I  happened  to  be  lunching  here,"  Tabs  com 
menced  conventionally.  But  he  altered  his  tactics 
promptly.  In  the  presence  of  his  friend's  self- 
advertised  misery  nothing  but  the  briefest  truth 
seemed  adequate. 

"Old  man,  it's  no  good.  She  won't  see  you.  She 
doesn't  want  you."  Forgetting  his  sense  of  justice, 
he  placed  his  hand  affectionately  on  Adair's  shoul 
der. 

Adair  stared  in  a  full-blown  way  and  nodded. 
"She  never  did  want  me." 

He  passed  no  comment  on  this  unforeseen  meeting 
in  the  little  house  with  the  marigold-tinted  curtains. 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  239 

He  manifested  no  resentment  against  this  familiar 
angel  who  had  been  deputed  to  bar  the  gates  of  Eden 
to  his  approaches.  He  was  incapable  of  surprise. 
He  was  obsessed  by  the  solitary  idea  of  his  own  for- 
lornness.  "I  knew  it.  She  never  did  want  me."  And 
then,  in  a  rush  of  self-pity,  "No  one  ever  wanted . 
me." 

"Except  Phyllis,'*  Tabs  suggested. 

Adair  appeared  not  to  have  heard.  He  stood  like 
a  living  statue,  his  top-hat  extended,  his  bunch  of 
roses  dangling — the  picture  of  idiotic  futility. 
Genuine  emotion,  however  mean  its  origin,  always 
has  its  grand  moments.  Tabs  forgot  the  silly  be 
ginnings  of  this  upset  and  the  endless  troubles  it  had 
caused.  All  he  saw  was  a  typical  ragamuffin  of 
humanity  in  the  grip  of  the  policeman,  Nemesis. 
Adair  had  been  caught  trying  to  do  what  thousands 
of  other  ragamuffins  achieved  daily  with  success. 
He  had  been  arrested  red-handed  in  the  act  of  steal 
ing  forbidden  happiness.  It  was  his  first  offense. 
He  was  inexpert  and  had  bungled.  He  had  bungled 
because,  while  assuming  the  role  of  roguery,  he  had 
remained  at  heart  an  honest  man.  Now  that  he  was 
caught,  he  took  the  exposure  of  his  dishonesty  too 
seriously. 

Tabs  had  almost  forgotten  that  he  had  been  the 
last  to  speak,  when  Adair  repeated  his  exact  words, 
"Except  Phyllis !"  And  then,  "Poor  kid !  She,  too, 
is  unhappy." 

Through  the  marshy  obscurities  of  his  humiliation 
his  conscience  was  building  a  path.  With  his  two 
hands  he  crushed  his  topper  back  onto  his  head. 


240     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

The  act  had  the  vehemence  of  decision.  In  the  doing 
of  it  he  dropped  the  roses  to  the  floor.  There  they 
lay  forgotten — so  forgotten  that  he  placed  his  foot 
on  them  without  noticing. 

"Home!     Best  be  going  home,"  he  muttered. 

Without  further  explanation,  he  drew  back  the 
latch  and  let  himself  out  into  the  sunlit  Court.  De 
laying  long  enough  to  pick  up  his  hat  and  cane,  Tabs 
followed. 

Adair  gave  no  sign  of  recognition  as  he  caught 
up  with  him.  Failing  to  hail  a  taxi,  they  boarded 
a  bus.  Tabs  paid  the  fares.  Adair  sat  like 
Napoleon  after  Waterloo,  taking  no  notice  of  any 
thing.  It  was  the  intensity  of  his  thoughts  that  kept 
him  silent — not  moroseness. 

They  had  reached  Clapham  Common  and  had 
come  to  his  garden-gate,  before  he  acknowledged 
Tabs'  presence. 

"I  was  a  fool.  I  deserved  it,"  he  said  sadly.  "It's 
ended  in  exactly  the  way  that  any  sane  man  would 
have  expected." 

Kicking  the  gate  open,  he  passed  up  the  path. 
From  the  Common  Tabs  watched  him,  till  he  was 
safely  within  the  house  and  the  door  had  shut. 

As  he  turned  away,  he  scarcely  knew  whether  to 
laugh  or  feel  vexed.  The  misfortunes  of  others  can 
always  be  traced  to  folly;  it  is  only  our  own  mis 
fortunes  that  are  never  deserved  and  never  anything 
less  than  august.  If  Adair's  love-affair  had  ap 
peared  ridiculous  in  his  eyes,  probably  his  own  would 
afford  materials  for  jest  to  some  one  else. 

He  couldn't  forget  the  top-hat  and  the  trampled 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  241 

roses.  The  ineffectualness  of  all  passion  loomed 
large.  It  might  have  its  value  as  an  educative 
process,  but  what  a  waste  of  energy!  For  the  mo 
ment  he  drew  no  distinction  between  Adair's  guilty 
hankering  after  something  which  was  forbidden  and 
his  own  honorable  love  for  Terry.  The  end  of  all 
passion  was  futility. 

Then  he  laughed,  for  in  imagination  he  saw  the 
irorld  as  a  crestfallen  caricature  of  George  Gros- 
smith,  top-hatted  and  bespatted,  wending  its  unfes- 
tive  way  through  the  centuries  to  an  eternal 
garden-party,  from  which  Adam  and  his  lineage  were 
forever  debarred. 


His  exit  from  Mulberry  Tree  Court  had  been  so 
hurried  that  he  had  had  no  time  to  make  arrange 
ments  with  Terry. 

He  had  no  sooner  knocked  than  the  door  was 
opened  by  Maisie.  He  was  slightly  embarrassed  at 
being  brought  face  to  face  with  her  thus  suddenly 
after  the  last  scene  that  they  had  shared.  He  en 
tered  in  a  tentative  manner,  only  just  crossing  the 
threshold,  as  though  he  had  not  much  time  to  spare. 

"I  called  in,"  he  apologized,  "because  I  thought 
3'ou'd  like  to  know  what  happened — and  to  fetch 
Terry." 

"Of  course."  She  spoke  with  a  cheerfulness  that 
astonished  him.  "I  was  expecting  you."  With  that 
she  led  the  way  across  the  hall  to  the  drawing-room. 

Carrying  his  hat,  he  followed.  He  clung  to  his 
hat  purposely;  it  would  serve  as  a  reminder  that 


he  had  not  come  to  stay  long.  She  was  on  the  point 
of  seating  herself,  when  she  spotted  it.  "Oh,  how 
rude  of  me!'*  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  she  had 
deprived  him  of  it  and  vanished.  "Captured  once 
more!"  he  thought. 

During  the  few  seconds  that  she  was  gone,  he 
looked  about  him.  Everything  was  as  it  had  been 
yesterday.  A  companionable  fire  glowed  in  the 
grate.  On  a  table  beside  the  couch  tea  was  spread. 
Even  as  yesterday,  the  nearest  chair  to  the  couch 
was  at  least  six  feet  away,  making  it  necessary  for 
any  one  who  did  not  wish  to  appear  boorish  to 
share  the  couch  with  her.  There  was  something  else 
that  he  had  noticed  on  entering:  while  he  had  been 
away  she  had  made  a  complete  change  of  toilet. 
She  was  now  dressed  in  a  filmy  gown  of  emerald 
green,  with  shoes,  stockings  and  buckles  to  match. 
It  was  a  gown  so  chic  that,  had  he  been  a  woman, 
he  would  have  guessed  at  once  that  it  was  the 
latest  from  Paquin's.  Inasmuch  as  he  was  a  man, 
his  sole  comment  was,  "Plucky  little  thorough-bred ! 
You  don't  catch  her  owning  that  she's  down."  The 
emerald  shade  brought  out  all  the  values  of  her 
coloring,  the  faint  rose  of  her  complexion,  the  daffo 
dil  gold  of  her  flaxen  hair.  He  had  expected  to 
be  bored  by  a  Magdalene  repentant ;  instead  he  had 
found  himself  confronted  by  a  challenging  young 
Diana.  His  admiration  went  out  to  her  for  her 
courage. 

Having  come  back  and  resettled  herself  on  the 
couch,  she  smiled  up  at  him  through  flickering 
lashes.  "A  nice  frock,  don't  you  think?  Nothing 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  243 

like  a  new  frock  after  a  knock-out  for  restoring  your 
self-respect." 

"It's  a  charming  frock.     Where's  Terry?" 

She  clasped  her  small  hands  about  her  knees,  lean 
ing  her  head  far  back  so  that  her  eyes  glinted  up 
at  his  languidly.  Perhaps  it  was  necessary  to  do 
that  in  order  to  see  him  properly.  He  was  still 
standing.  And  yet  her  attitude  served  another  pur 
pose;  it  called  attention  to  the  firm  young  lines  of 
her  bust  and  throat,  and  to  the  voluptuous  curve  of 
her  lips,  parted  in  patient  expectancy. 

"Terry!"  Her  voice  sounded  drowsy.  "I  for 
got.  I  ought  to  have  given  you  her  message.  She 
couldn't  stop.  She  had  another  engagement." 

"An  engagement!"  He  was  dumbfounded. 

"That's  strange !  She  never  said  anything 

Are  you  sure  she  didn't  invent  it?" 

"Certain."  Maisie  sat  up  fully  awake  now. 
"Quite  positive.  But  she  had  made  up  her  mind  not 
to  keep  it  till,  through  no  fault  of  yours,  you  gave 
her  the  chance.  You  don't  want  to  believe  that ; 
it  sounds  as  though  she  had  cheated.  You  don't 
know  much  about  women,  Lord  Tabortey.  You 
don't  know  because  you  refuse  to  learn.  You're  de 
termined,  in  the  face  of  every  proof  to  the  contrary, 
to  live  and  die  in  the  faith  that  we're  angels."  She 
shook  her  finger  at  him.  He  was  amused  to  discover 
that  he  was  being  scolded.  "Angels!  We're  far 
from  it.  We're  very  much  like  you  men,  with  this 
difference,  that  we're  cowards.  What  you  need — 
this  may  sound  entirely  wrong — is  a  good  sensible 
woman  to  take  you  in  hand,  and  give  you  a  run  for 


244     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

your  money,  and  teach  you  your  own  value.  Why, 
with  your  position  and  charm " 

"You  must  excuse  my  interrupting.  Of  course  it 
all  depends  on  what  you  mean  by  a  run  for  my 
money.  But  are  there  many  good  and  sensible 
women  who  are  game  for  an  adventure  of  that  sort?" 

"Heaps  of  them,"  she  assured  him,  imitating  his 
mock  seriousness.  "The  more  outwardly  good  and 
sensible,  the  more  inwardly  they're  willing." 

"Humph!"  He  pretended  to  be  pondering  this 
gem  of  information.  And  then,  "But  you  have  to 
own,  Mrs.  Lockwood,  that  Terry's  not 

She  blocked  his  protest  with  a  gay  little  laugh. 
"I  make  no  exceptions.  Terry's  exactly  like  the  rest! 
of  us — younger  and  more  innocent  looking,  no  doubt, 
but  just  as  imperfect.  As  regards  this  engagement 
of  hers,  she  breathed  no  word  of  it  until  you  had 
gone.  Then  she  began  to  flirt  with  the  idea  that 
she  might  be  able  to  keep  it.  At  last  she  couldn't 
resist  the  temptation  any  longer.  Out  she  came 
with  it,  that  she  must  be  going.  I'd  lay  a  wager  I 
could  name  the  person  with  whom " 

"You'd  lose  your  wager." 

"I  think  not."  She  met  the  threatened  tempest 
in  his  eyes  with  calmness. 

"Would  you  give  a  name  to  this  person?'* 

"Where's  the  good?"  She  shrugged  her  dainty 
shoulders.  "We  both  know  it?  Steely  Jack.  Isn't 
that  what  you  call  him?" 

Instantly  she  leant  forward.  Her  whole  instinct 
was  to  touch  him.  She  hadn't  intended  to  hurt  him 
like  that.  He  looked  so  defiant,  and  gaunt  and 


TRAMPLED  ROSES 

deserted — such  a  huge,  scarred  boy  of  a  man.  He 
reminded  her  of  one  of  those  early  war-posters,  in 
which  a  solitary  figure  was  depicted,  knee-deep  in 
barbed  wire,  head  bandaged,  hurling  the  last  of  his 
bombs. 

"Please  don't  be  angry,"  she  pleaded.  "I  was 
clumsy ;  but  I  was  trying  to  help.  When  you  helped 
me  yesterday,  you  too  were  clumsy.  You  can't  put 
on  a  new  frock,  worse  luck,  the  way  I've  done,  to 
restore  your  self-respect.  But  I  do  wish  you'd  buy 
a  new  something — a  new  race-horse  or  a  new  car — 
I  don't  care  what  as  long  as  it  would  make  you 
swank.  A  little  swanking  would  do  you  all  the  good 
in  the  world;  it  would  keep  Terry  from  knowing 
how  much  you  care.  Terry's  not  half  good  enough 
for  you ;  one  day  you'll  acknowledge  it.  Still,  if  you 
really  do  think  you  want  her,  you  can  bring  her  to 
heel  any  moment  by  putting  on  an  indifferent  air. 
Look  how  jealously  she  flared  up  at  me  at  lunch. 
It  makes  a  woman  furious  to  see  her  rejections 
picked  up  as  treasures  by  another  woman.  The 
only  reason  why  Terry  brought  you  here  to-day  was 
to  see  for  herself  just  how  deep  an  impression  we'd 
made  on  each  other." 

At  last  she  mustered  the  courage  to  touch  him. 
Reaching  out,  she  took  his  har^  and  drew  him  to 
her.  He  stood  against  her  knees,  looking  down. 

Her  voice  was  tender.  "Some  one  had  to  say 
these  things  to  you,  just  as  you  had  to  say  things 
to  me  that  weren't  altogether  pleasant.  So  why 
shouldn't  I  to  you?  After  all,  we're  both  in  the  same 
box,  and  the  box  is  labeled  NOT  WANTED.  It  pains 


246     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

me  to  see  a  man  like  you,  wasting  himself  on  a  girl 
who  hasn't  the  sense  to  appreciate  what  he's  offer 
ing."  She  raised  her  eyes  to  his  with  a  slow  smile. 
"Don't  mistake  me,  Lord  Taborley,  I'm  not  trying 
to  secure  what  you're  offering  for  myself." 

He  began  to  see  the  drift  of  her  argument.  Be 
fore  he  could  formulate  it,  she  herself  had  put  it  into 
words.  "Can't  we  do  a  little  missionary  work,  you 
and  I,  by  appreciating  each  other  just  a  little?" 

Flinging  prejudices  to  the  winds,  he  took  a  place 
beside  her  on  the  couch.  Why  shouldn't  he?  Why 
should  he  go  on  conserving  himself  so  scrupulously 
for  a  girl  who  didn't  value  his  loyalty? 

"I  should  consider  it  a  privilege  to  be  appreciated 
by  you,"  he  said  gravely.  "But  let's  start  properly. 
How  about  dinner  at  the  Berkeley?  After  that,  if 
you  felt  like  it,  we  could  do  a  theatre.  Would  that 
suit  you?" 

It  was  close  on  midnight  when  they  returned  to 
Mulberry  Tree  Court.  Not  until  he  was  handing  her 
out  of  the  taxi  and  Porter  was  standing  framed  in 
the  open  doorway,  did  he  remember  that  he'd  im 
parted  none  of  his  important  news  concerning  Adair. 

"About  Adair "  he  commenced.  "Or  shall  I 

put  him  off  till  to-morrow?" 

"Till  forever."  As  her  feet  touched  the  pave 
ment,  she  swung  around  on  him  with  laughter.  They 
had  been  very  happy  in  the  last  six  hours.  She 
pressed  close  against  him.  He  caught  the  sparkle 
of  her  eyes  as  he  stooped  above  her  and  the  faint, 
sweet  fragrance  of  her  hair.  She  rested  an  un- 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  247 

gloved  hand  on  his  arm.  It  looked  dim  like  a  large 
white  moth  that  had  settled  there. 

"I  have  few  principles  to  guide  me,"  she  whispered, 
"but  the  few  that  I  have  I  observe.  I  never  dig  up 
my  dead  and  I  never  botanize  on  the  graves  of  the 
past.  Good-night.  Merry  dreams  to  you,  Lord 
Taberley." 

With  the  suddenness  of  a  phantom  she  went  from 
him.  There  were  a  brief  few  seconds  while  he  heard 
the  ripple  of  her  laughter  and  the  rustling  of  her 
dress.  Then  the  door  closed.  Save  for  the  lamps 
of  the  waiting  taxi,  night  was  again  eventless  and 
dark. 

VI 

That  evening  was  the  first  of  many  such  adven 
tures.  His  tall  limping  figure  became  a  familiar 
sight  in  Mulberry  Tree  Court. 

Very  earty  in  their  friendship  he  took  her  advice 
and  delighted  her  by  purchasing  a  smart  two-seater 
runabout  which  he  drove  himself.  Sometimes  it  was 
at  her  door  shortly  after  breakfast  to  transport  her 
to  where  saddle-horses  were  waiting  in  the  Park. 
Sometimes  it  would  turn  up  about  lunch-time  and 
stand  impatiently  chugging  while  she  changed  into 
sport's  clothes,  after  which  it  would  dash  away  with 
her,  humming  contentedly,  into  the  depths  of  the 
country.  It  was  the  magic-carpet  which  obeyed  all 
her  desires.  After  war-days,  with  their  petrol  short 
ages  and  restricted  travel,  it  seemed  more  than  ordi 
narily  magic.  It  made  emphatic  as  nothing  else 
could  have  done,  the  freedom  and  serenity  which 


248      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

peace  had  restored.  The  very  fleetness  of  its  obe 
dience  prompted  her  to  urge  Tabs  to  take  her  farther 
and  ever  farther  afield.  There  were  evenings  when 
they  dined  within  sight  of  the  sea  beneath  the  red 
roofs  of  Rye  and  started  back  for  London  across 
the  Sussex  downs,  driving  straight  into  the  eye  of 
the  sunset.  There  were  afternoons  when  they  drifted 
over  the  Chiltern  hills  to  where  the  spires  and  domes 
of  Oxford  rise,  placid  as  masts  of  a  sunken  ship  in 
an  encroaching  sea  of  greenness. 

But  it  was  most  frequently  nearing  midnight  when 
the  quiet  of  the  secluded  Court  was  wakened  by  the 
merry  buzzing  of  the  engine.  At  first  it  would  come 
from  far  away,  drowsily  like  the  song  of  a  belated 
bee.  Then  it  would  gather  in  volume  and  grow  more 
lively,  till  it  panted  round  the  little  village-green 
and  quavered  into  silence  in  front  of  Maisie's  door. 
Porter,  with  the  gold  light  of  the  hall  behind  her, 
would  always  be  there  on  the  threshold  to  receive 
her  mistress.  It  was  difficult  to  guess  what  Porter 
thought.  There  were  impromptu  jaunts  to  theaters 
and  dances.  Porter  had  seen  many  gay  beginnings 
and  tearful  endings.  Her  face  was  immobile  and 
respectful  at  whatever  hour  he  called. 

It  was  a  curious  friendship  that  had  developed 
between  them — a  friendship  which  lived  from  hand 
to  mouth,  which  had  the  appearance  of  being  more 
than  a  friendship,  in  which  nothing  was  premedi 
tated.  Nothing  could  be  premeditated  so  far  as  he 
was  concerned.  Terry  had  first  call  on  all  his  leis 
ure — not  that  she  availed  herself  of  it  very  often; 
nevertheless,  he  held  himself  in  readiness  to  break 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  249 

every  engagement  for  her.  Maisie  was  his  consola 
tion  prize  when  Terry  had  failed.  Maisie  was  not 
deceived  as  to  the  spare-man  place  that  she  held  in 
his  affections.  She  was  painfully  aware  that  at  any 
moment  their  friendship  might  end  as  abruptly  as  it 
had  started.  On  either  side  it  was  based  on  a  com 
mon  need  for  kindness,  a  common  tenderness  and  a 
common  desire  for  protection  from  loneliness.  In  a 
sense  they  were  each  a  substitute  for  something  post 
poned  and  more  satisfying.  While  he  was  making 
up  to  her  for  the  loss  of  Adair,  she  was  trying  to 
save  him  from  the  rashness  of  committing  himself  too 
fatally  to  Terry.  They  were  altruists,  actuated  by 
self-interested  motives. 

And  yet  it  was  a  friendship  not  untinged  by  en 
mity.  His  enmity  was  awakened  when  she  became 
too  possessive  in  the  demands  which  she  made  and 
especially  when  she  let  fall  criticisms,  however  mild, 
concerning  Terry.  These  occurrences  set  him  think 
ing  of  the  other  casuals  who  had  ventured  on  her 
doorstep,  not  meaning  to  stay,  and  had  ended  by 
hanging  up  their  hats  in  her  hall.  Her  enmity  was 
roused  by  the  courteous  circumspection  of  his  be 
havior.  He  never  admitted  her  to  the  privacy  of 
his  inmost  thoughts.  He  could  be  gay  and  gallant 
and  bountifully  generous,  but  he  never  permitted  her 
to  peep  beneath  the  surface.  He  addressed  her  in 
variably  as  Mrs.  Lockwood.  The  use  of  her  sur 
name  held  her  at  arm's  length.  She  longed  most 
frightfully  to  hear  him  call  her  by  the  name  that  was 
less  safe.  She  denied  to  herself  that  she  wanted  him 
to  make  love  to  her;  at  the  same  time  she  was  dis- 


250      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

appointed  at  the  persistency  with  which  he  held  her 
off.  She  liked  to  believe  that,  if  he  had  made  love 
to  her,  she  would  have  rebuffed  him.  She  rehearsed 
many  times  the  indignant  words  with  which  she 
would  have  set  him  in  his  place;  she  would  have  re 
minded  him  that  it  was  for  Reggie  Pollock  she  was 
waiting — as  though  he  were  not  dead,  but  only  round 
the  corner.  To  her  chagrin  Tabs  never  gave  her  the 
least  incentive  to  employ  them. 

He  saw  her  never  more  and  frequently  less  than 
once  a  day.  There  was  a  week  at  a  stretch  when  he 
saw  nothing  of  her.  She  bridged  these  tedious  in 
tervals  of  expecting  by  the  length  of  her  telephone 
conversations.  Whenever  he  stayed  away  for  long, 
she  tortured  herself  with  suspicions  that  his  court 
ship  of  Terry  had  begun  to  prosper.  If  he  returned 
debonair  and  smiling,  she  felt  confirmed  in  these 
suspicions.  He  was  most  dear  to  her  when  he  re 
turned  in  an  under-mood  of  distress.  She  knew  then 
that  she  was  necessary ;  to  be  necessary  was  the  pas 
sion  of  her  heart.  Then  she  would  become  gay  and 
tender  and  mothering — an  altogether  sweeter,  gen 
tler  and  more  self-effacing  Maisie. 

Whither  were  they  drifting — toward  marriage  or 
only  toward  infatuation?  If  you  had  asked  Tabs, 
he  would  have  replied  promptly,  "Toward  neither." 
He  had  promised  to  tide  her  over  the  dull  spots.  She 
had  advised  him  to  take  a  course  of  education  in  his 
own  value  in  order  that  he  might  increase  his  worth 
to  Terry.  She  had  told  him  that  he  ought  to  let 
some  good  sensible  woman  take  him  in  hand  and  give 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  251 

him  a  run  for  his  money.  They  had  accepted  each 
other  at  their  word — that  was  all. 

At  the  same  time  he  knew  that  that  was  not  all. 
He  knew  that  if  there  was  one  thing  more  irritating 
to  her  than  being  addressed  as  Mrs.  Lockwood,  it 
was  his  way  of  treating  her  as  if  she  were  good  and 
sensible.  Most  women  would  feel  affronted  at  hear 
ing  themselves  spoken  of  as  anything  other  than 
sensible  and  good.  Good  and  sensible  women  are  the 
pillars  of  society,  but  they  are  not  usually  regarded 
as  attractive  companions  for  joyous  excursions  in 
two-seater  runabouts. 

Neither  of  them  was  entirely  insensitive  to  the 
conjectures  that  their  sudden  intimacy  had  given  rise 
to  in  the  minds  of  onlookers.  They  were  both  too 
well-known  and  were  seen  together  in  too  many  dif 
ferent  places  to  avoid  the  breath  of  gossip — even  of 
scandal.  Men  were  scarce  after  the  wholesale  butch 
ery  of  the  war,  especially  bachelors  of  Lord  Tabor- 
ley's  class.  Had  he  only  had  the  conceit  to  know  it, 
he  had  returned  to  London  a  strong  favorite  for  the 
season's  matrimonial  sweepstakes.  More  than  one 
anxious  mother  of  unappropriated  daughters  had 
set  him  down  for  preference  on  her  list  of  eligibles. 
When  invitations  poured  in  on  him  and  were  politely 
regretted,  there  was  consternation  and  puzzlement. 
The  puzzlement  vanished  when  the  explanation  was 
whispered  across  a  hundred  dinner-tables,  "Haven't 
you  heard?  It's  Maisie  Lockwood." 

Then  would  follow  details  of  how  they  had  been 
seen  at  sundry  theaters,  at  half-a-dozen  fashionable 
hotels  and  riding  together  in  the  Park.  "She 


252      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

mounted  on  one  of  Lord  Taborley's  horses  of 
course." 

"It's  quite  a  case,"  people  said.  "If  he  doesn't 
mean  matrimony,  it  would  be  decent  to  exercise  more 
discretion.  There  used  to  be  some  talk  of  Terry 
Beddow;  that's  completely  ended.  Queer  the  women 
men  fall  for,  even  the  quietest  of  them!  No  one's 
sane  any  longer.  Had  three  husbands  already, 
hasn't  she?  Quite  a  crowd!  One  would  scarcely 
have  supposed  that  an  exclusive  chap  like  Taborley 
would  have  joined  in  the  queue  to  make  a  fourth. 
And  he  could  have  had  almost  any  girl  for  the  ask 
ing.  There's  never  any  telling." 

Veiled  references  began  to  appear  in  the  society 
columns ;  but  not  so  veiled  that  they  could  not  be 
recognized.  "A  romance  is  developing  between  a 
noble  lord,  who  served  in  the  ranks  during  the  war, 
and  a  vivacious  beauty,  three  times  widowed,  well- 
known  in  fashionable  circles,  etc."  One  paper  pub 
lished  a  photograph  of  them  riding  side  by  side. 
After  that  sceptics  who  had  not  seen  for  themselves, 
were  persuaded. 

It  was  a  mad  world — a  world  in  which  it  was  not 
safe  to  be  censorious.  The  lid  was  off  the  conven 
tions.  Every  one  was  shouting  for  happiness — hap 
piness  at  all  costs.  When  they  could  not  get  it  for 
the  asking,  they  were  taking  it  without  thought  of 
law  or  penalties.  There  were  few  who  could  afford 
to  sit  in  judgment  and  many  who  preferred  to  laugh. 
The  day  of  authority  was  over.  Traditions  were  no 
longer  respected.  While  the  war  was  on,  men  and 
women  had  been  drilled  into  dumb  acquiescence;  now 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  253 

that  the  drilling  was  abolished,  they  had  become  a 
mob,  avid,  leaderless  and  uproarious. 

Tabs  came  to  realize  that  he  was  not  alone  in  his 
lost  sense  of  direction.  The  right  to  live  had  been 
restored,  but  neither  individuals  nor  nations  were 
sure  what  they  wanted  to  do  with  it.  After  having 
been  as  one  in  their  sacrificial  certainty,  they  had  ar 
rived  at  a  crossroads  where  there  was  no  policeman 
to  take  charge.  They  had  broken  up  into  little 
groups,  gathered  about  their  own  vociferous  stump- 
orators.  The  result  was  babel.  Of  orators  there 
were  a  plenty.  They  abused  one  another  across  the 
Irish  Sea.  They  tried  to  shout  one  another  down 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  But  the  hammer-head 
men  of  righteousness  were  gone.  After  the  apoca 
lyptic  splendor  of  mailed  knights  of  Christ  charg 
ing  stern-faced  down  to  Armageddon,  the  results  of 
victory  had  been  consigned  to  the  weakling  care  of 
a  race  of  talkers. 

And  yet  there  was  music  and  laughter.  Spring 
rushed  on.  Feet  that  had  marched,  now  moved  in 
the  rhythm  of  the  dance.  Theaters  were  crowded. 
Jazz-bands  clashed.  There  were  endless  processions. 
Youth  beckoned.  Chestnut  bloom  grew  white  and 
fell  in  flurries.  Women  were  no  less  beautiful.  The 
sun  shone  thunderously. 

If  Tabs  were  foolish,  which  he  did  not  concede, 
all  the  world  was  his  companion  in  foolishness. 
Blindly  and  gropingly  he  was  still  going  in  search 
of  his  kingdom.  He  ignored  the  gossip  which  his 
championship  of  Maisie  had  called  forth.  He  de 
spised  it.  It  made  him  the  more  compassionate  to- 


854      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ward  her — the  more  determined  to  help  her  to 
weather  the  storm.  Well-meaning  friends  undertook 
to  warn  him.  "She's  most  beautiful  and  charming. 
And  she's  Lady  Dawn's  sister,  of  course.  But — 
Well,  to  put  it  frankly,  a  woman  who's  been  married 
three  times  might  just  as  well  never  have  been  mar 
ried  at  all.  Looks  as  though  she'd  only  squandered 
her  money  in  rising  to  the  nicety  of  a  mar 
riage-license.  I  hope  you  don't  mean  to  marry  her, 
old  chap,  because  she's  not  your  sort." 

When  Tabs  went  to  the  trouble  of  assuring  these 
well-wishers  that  he  did  not  intend  to  marry  her  and 
that  she  was  his  sort,  they  slipped  their  tongues  into 
their  cheeks  and  opened  their  eyes  wide,  "Oh,  so 
that's  the  way  of  it !" 

Maisie  reported  to  him  similar  experiences.  "So 
you  see  how  I'm  regarded,  as  though  I  were  no  better 
than  I  should  be.  And  I'm  young  and  I've  done 
nothing  wrong.  If  it  wasn't  for  your  friendship,  I 
should  be  tempted — 

"But  you  have  my  friendship !"  he  assured  her. 

He  tried  to  rise  superior  to  this  petty  talk  of 
scandal-mongers,  but  it  was  not  always  possible  when 
he  remembered  Terry. 

VII 

He  met  Terry  as  often  as  he  could  contrive,  but 
he  no  longer  forced  himself  upon  her.  He  could 
effect  nothing  so  long  as  her  infatuation  for  Braith- 
waite  lasted. 

Now  that  Sir  Tobias  had  lost  faith  in  him  as  a 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  255 

lover,  his  opportunities  for  meeting  her  became  more 
rare.  When  Sir  Tobias  lost  faith  in  any  one,  he 
made  no  attempt  to  disguise  it.  In  the  case  of  Tabs, 
he  let  him  know  it  with  a  fine  air  of  magnanimity,  as 
though  he  were  doing  him  a  kindness.  His  frank 
ness  took  the  form  of  communicating  some  new  dis 
paraging  criticism,  astutely  attributed  to  Lady  Bed- 
dow,  every  time  he  was  paid  a  visit. 

Having  separated  Tabs  from  Terry  by  carrying 
him  off  to  his  library  on  one  pretext  or  another,  he 
would  carefully  close  the  door  and  commence,  "You 
men  who've  seen  service  are  all  unbalanced;  it  would 
be  unfair  to  hold  any  of  you  responsible.  You're  no 
exception,  my  dear  fellow,  though  you  probably 
don't  notice  it  in  yourself.  As  Lady  Beddow  was 
saying  to  me  this  morning,  'Poor  Lord  Taborley,  he 
has  a  rambling  mind.  Most  likely  it's  a  species  of 
shell-shock.  There's  a  queer  look  comes  into  his 
eyes.  It's  not  always  there.  It's  a  look  as  if  he 
were  haunted.  You  ought  to  speak  to  him,  Tobias 
— you're  his  oldest  friend — and  advise  him  to  see  a 
specialist.  It's  lucky  we  found  his  weakness  out  be 
fore  things  between  him  and  Terry  went  too  far.* ' 

Or  he  would  say,  "Lady  Beddow  and  I  were  talk 
ing  about  you,  my  dear  fellow.  You  know  she's  very 
fond  of  you.  She  loved  your  mother  before  you. 
'The  little  big  lady  from  America,'  she  used  to  call 
her.  She's  naturally  very  much  upset  at  the  way  in 
which  you're  getting  yourself  talked  about.  Unfor 
tunately  she  holds  me  partly  responsible  for  having 
induced  you  to  visit  this  Maisie  woman.  'You  ought 
to  have  known  him  better,'  she  says.  'There's  an  im- 


256  KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

moral  streak  in  him — an  inherited  taint,  which  I,  for 
one,  always  suspected.'  She  was  wondering  whether 
you  have  any  knowledge  of  there  having  been  insan 
ity  in  your  family." 

After  having  invented  such  discomforting  surmises 
and  given  his  wife  the  credit  for  them,  the  old  gentle 
man  would  blink  his  crafty  eyes  and  rest  his  hand 
affectionately  on  Tabs'  arm.  At  the  end  of  each  visit 
he  was  pressed  to  call  again;  but  when  he  called,  it 
was  to  find  himself  shepherded  into  the  library,  safely 
out  of  reach  of  Terry,  in  order  that  he  might  hear 
his  conduct  discussed  afresh,  either  directly  or  by 
insinuation. 

He  was  unable  to  defend  himself  without  betray 
ing  Terry.  She  maintained  her  silence  with  regard 
to  Braithwaite,  refusing  to  take  her  parents  into  her 
confidence.  They  naturally  attributed  the  hanging 
fire  of  the  engagement  to  Tabs,  supposing  that  on 
the  eve  of  his  proposal  he  had  been  ensnared  in  the 
net  of  Maisie.  In  their  eyes  he  cut  a  shabby  figure. 

Behind  his  back  Terry  came  to  his  defense.  She 
would  hear  and  believe  no  wrong  of  him.  This  only 
proved  to  her  parents  that  her  heart  still  followed 
him.  They  thought  her  very  brave  and  became  more 
gloomy  in  their  accusations.  Matters  took  a  serious 
turn :  her  health  began  to  fail.  When  the  doctor 
was  summoned,  he  ascribed  the  cause  to  secret  wor 
rying  and  prescribed  a  complete  change.  Tabs  re 
ceived  no  word  of  this  happening,  for  Terry  had  be 
come  increasingly  shy,  so  that  she  created  the  ap 
pearance  of  avoiding  him.  She  quite  definitely 
avoided  Maisie. 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  257 

There  came  a  day  in  early  June  when  he  went  to 
call  on  her  and  was  informed  by  the  velvet-plush 
James  that  Miss  Terry  was  out  of  London  on  a  visit 
of  undetermined  length.  When  he  asked  for  her  ad 
dress,  James  shook  his  head  mournfully.  She  had 
been  ill  and  was  to  be  spared  all  disturbing  commu 
nications.  His  orders  were  that  her  address  was  to 
be  given  to  nobody. 

"But  that  order  doesn't  apply  to  me,"  Tabs 
urged. 

James  became  more  profoundly  agitated.  He 
averted  his  eyes,  while  he  fiddled  with  the  last  but 
ton  of  his  plump  waistcoat.  "I  regret  to  say,  to 
your  Lordship  most  especially." 

"Humph !"  Tabs  stroked  his  chin.  "Is  Sir  To 
bias  at  home?" 

"Your  Lordship  would  gain  nothing  by  seeing  Sir 
Tobias." 

"You  might  mention  to  him  that  I  called."  With 
that  he  descended  the  steps  and  climbed  into  his 
runabout. 

"Turned  away !"  he  thought.  "Turned  away  from 
Terry's  house!"  Then  his  mind  went  back  to  two 
months  ago — the  hopes  he'd  had,  his  meeting  with 
her  at  the  station,  his  asking  her  father  for  her  hand 
in  marriage.  It  was  like  the  old  front-line  trench, 
when  reinforcements  had  failed  to  come  up :  there 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  dig  one's  self  in  and  stick 
it  out. 

He  had  been  shown  the  door  with  as  little  cere 
mony  as  an  intruding  peddler. 


258      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

VIII 

From  Terry's  house  he  went  to  Mulberry  Tree 
Court,  but  the  route  that  he  chose  was  not  direct. 
He  drove  all  over  the  West  End  first,  through  Ox 
ford  Street,  Bond  Street,  Piccadilly;  then  back  by 
way  of  Regent  Street,  swinging  to  the  left  through 
Conduit  Street,  till  he  again  struck  Bond  Street.  He 
doubled  and  redoubled  on  his  tracks,  moving  among 
crowds,  feeling  that  he  must  hear  the  noise  of  crowds, 
yet  seeing  little  of  the  sights  on  which  his  eyes  rested. 
It  had  been  like  this  with  him  before,  after  being  in 
too  close  contact  with  calamity.  It  had  been  like 
this  in  war-days,  when  he  had  returned  on  brief 
leaves  out  of  monstrous  offensives  to  the  appalling 
quiet  of  a  normal  world.  He  hadn't  dared  to  be 
alone.  He  had  felt  that  his  sanity  depended  on 
his  rubbing  shoulders  with  people.  He  had  been 
like  a  child  in  an  empty  house,  leaning  out  of  a 
window  to  catch  the  stir  of  life  along  the  pavements. 

The  gayety  of  the  London  season  was  at  its  height. 
Khaki  was  growing  rare.  Signs  of  war  had  almost 
completely  vanished.  No  one  wanted  to  talk  about 
it.  No  one  wanted  to  read  about  it.  Shops  had  re 
decorated  their  windows  with  the  necessities  and  lux 
uries  of  civilian  requirements.  There  was  a  wave  of 
spendthrift  extravagance  abroad.  Every  one  in  the 
streets  had  the  look  of  being  out  for  a  good  time. 
The  threat  of  torturing  to-morrows  no  longer  made 
life  haggard.  If  there  was  one  lesson  that  the  past 
five  years  had  taught  it  was  that  each  new  day  was 
a  gift  from  the  gods,  to  be  enjoyed  separately  and 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  259 

drained  of  every  available  drop  of  pleasure.  The  re 
straints  of  duty  were  indefinitely  postponed.  Men 
and  women  sauntered  in  pairs,  aimlessly  and  joy 
ously.  Work  was  the  bondage  furthest  from  their 
thoughts.  They  seemed  aware  of  no  one  but  them 
selves  in  their  ecstasy  at  being  reunited.  Racing 
had  been  restarted ;  up  and  down  the  gutters  news 
boys  ran  shouting  the  winners.  London  was  a 
Tommy  on  leave,  insubordinately,  humorously,  con 
tagiously  happy. 

As  he  drove,  Tabs  argued  out  his  problem.  From 
house-top  to  house-top  the  June  sky  sagged  like  an 
azure  canopy.  Across  pavements  the  afternoon  sun 
shine  lay  in  bars  of  gold.  Flower-sellers  stood  at  in 
tervals  along  the  curb,  scenting  the  air  with  their 
country  nosegays.  A  lazy  breeze  ruffled  drooping 
flags  which  had  been  hung  out  for  the  latest  festival. 
Everywhere  there  were  girls  in  their  blowy  summer 
dresses — girls  of  all  kinds  and  sorts.  Single  girls, 
married  girls,  girls  who  worked  for  their  livings, 
girls  whose  business  it  was  to  be  beautiful,  girls  who 
were  merely  drudges.  There  were  both  pathos  and 
urgency  in  the  sight  of  them.  It  was  not  good  that 
they  should  live  alone.  They  had  wasted  their  youth 
too  long.  The  great  necessity  for  that  waste  was 
ended.  Not  one  of  them  was  a  patch  on  Maisie. 

If  he  did  not  desire  Maisie,  why  did  he  miss  her? 
Was  it  that  he  would  not  allow  himself  to  desire  her? 
Why  did  he  encourage  his  passion  for  Terry — Terry 
who  in  her  mild  and  gentle  way  had  become  almost 
insolently  unappreciative?  Wouldn't  he  be  wiser  to 


260      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

content  himself  with  the  woman  who  was  within  reach 
rather  than ? 

He  frowned  as  the  truth  dawned  on  him.  For  the 
first  time  he  had  acknowledged  it.  He  did  love 
Maisie.  Not  as  he  loved  Terry,  of  course;  but  in  a 
more  human  way,  to  the  extent  of  needing  her  com 
panionship.  He  had  made  a  discovery  that  amazed 
himself — a  discovery  that  thousands  of  men  had 
made  before  him:  that  it  was  possible  for  him  to  love 
two  women  at  the  same  time,  utterly  differently  and 
yet  with  entire  sincerity.  He  felt  as  lowered  in  his 
self-esteem  as  if  he  had  committed  bigamy.  He  was 
dumbfounded  at  this  new  twist  that  his  emotions  had 
developed.  Without  consulting  him,  they  had  played 
a  trick  on  him  which  forever  disqualified  him  for  the 
larger  role  of  constant  lover.  He  felt  himself  pushed 
down  to  almost  the  level  of  a  philanderer — a  philan 
derer  not  much  more  august  than  Adair.  The  sus 
picion  crossed  his  mind  that,  if  he  could  believe  him 
self  in  love  with  two  women,  he  couldn't  be  very 
mightily  in  love  with  either. 

But  he  was  impatient  of  delays — worn  out  with 
procrastinations.  The  magnificent  chances  of  the 
present  were  slipping  past  him.  One  day  he  would 
be  old.  "Now,  now,  now,  is  the  appointed  time," 
throbbed  his  engine.  Out  of  the  sheer  disorganiza 
tion  of  his  thoughts  a  desperate  scheme  took  shape. 
Why  should  he  not  go  to  Maisie  and  say,  "We're 
neither  of  us  first  in  each  other's  affections.  It's  a 
rough-and-tumble  world!  Why  be  thin-skinned 
about  it?  We  may  become  first  later.  Let's  stop 


TRAMPLED  ROSES  261 

dreaming  of  kingdoms  round  the  corner  and  make 
the  best  of  such  kingdoms  as  are  ours  to-day." 

The  idea  took  hold  of  him  with  force.  It  fasci 
nated  him.  He  turned  his  car  about.  In  passing 
through  Mayfair  he  made  a  detour  to  glance  at 
Taborley  House.  The  American  Hospital  had  va 
cated  it.  It  looked  ruined  and  forlorn.  He  tried 
to  picture  it  as  it  might  appear  if  Maisie  were  its 
mistress. 

Twenty  minutes  later  he  drew  up  before  the  re 
tiring  little  villa  with  its  marigold-tinted  curtains. 
He  had  by  no  manner  of  means  decided  on  his  course 
of  action.  He  could  not  have  told  you  what  he  was 
going  to  say  to  Maisie.  In  this  as  in  so  many  other 
ways,  he  believed  himself  abnormal.  No  one  had  ever 
told  him  that  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred  married 
men,  if  they  spoke  the  truth,  would  have  to  confess 
that  they  had  been  unaware  thirty  seconds  before 
they  proposed  that  they  were  going  to  do  so ;  and 
that  the  most  incredible  happening  in  their  lives 
had  been  when,  thirty  seconds  later,  they  had  dis 
covered  that  not  only  had  they  proposed,  but  that 
they  had  been  riotously  accepted. 


CHAPTER  THE  SEVENTH 


SOME    PEOPLE   FIND   THEIR   KINGDOMS 


HE  was  in  the  act  of  shutting  off  his  engine  when 
he  heard  himself  accosted.  "I  beg  your 
pardon,  but  are  you,  Mr.  Gervis?" 

It  was  a  pleasant  voice — a  man's.  Keeping  his 
eyes  on  what  he  was  doing,  Tabs  answered  in  the 
negative.  Then  he  recalled  that  Gervis  had  been  the 
name  of  Maisie's  second  husband.  "If  it's  the  Gervis 
who  used  to  live  here,"  he  indicated  the  house  with 
a  jerk  of  his  head,  "I'm  afraid  you  won't  find  him. 
He's  been  dead  these  three  years — killed  at  the 
Front.'* 

A  quiet  chuckle  greeted  this  piece  of  information, 
followed  by  a  hearty,  "Thank  the  Lord." 

Tabs  had  finished  what  he  was  doing.  As  he 
stepped  out  of  the  car,  he  threw  a  contemptuous 
glance  at  the  man  who  could  be  so  callous.  He  was 
a  slightly  built,  fresh-complexioned  young  fellow  of 
middle  height,  with  amiable  gray  eyes  and  a  fair, 
closely-trimmed  mustache.  He  belonged  to  the  de 
mobilized  subaltern  type  and  had  the  weary,  drawn 
expression  of  over-strained  nerves  that  so  many 
young  faces  had  at  that  time.  He  was  dressed  in 

262 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  263 

a  smartly  fitting  suit  of  striped  navy-blue  flannel 
and  carried  himself  with  the  plucky  alertness  of  a 
highly  bred  fox-terrier.  He  had  a  clean  and  gallant 
bearing  which  it  was  difficult  to  reconcile  with  the 
ungencrosity  of  his  last  remark.  In  a  neat,  unforce- 
ful  way  he  would  have  been  handsome,  had  it  not 
been  for  a  badly  healed  scar  which  ran  straight 
across  his  forehead,  only  just  escaping  his  eyes. 

Before  Tabs  could  say  anything,  he  was  apologiz 
ing.  "That  sounded  rotten.  I'm  sorry.  But  you 
see,  I  didn't  know  the  chap.  It's  his  wife  that  I'm 
trying  to  find.  She  was  married  to  a  man  named 
Pollock  when  I  knew  her.  I  was  rather  a  pal  of 
Pollock's,  belonged  to  the  same  squadron  and  was 
shot  down  at  the  same  time.  I've  been  a  prisoner  in 
Germany.  Just  got  back,  in  fact.  As  you'll  under 
stand,  I'm  rather  out  of  touch.  I  thought  you'd 
be  able  to  tell  me  whether  she  still  lived  here.'* 

It  was  very  damping  to  his  ardor  at  this  par 
ticular  moment  to  have  Maisie's  matrimonial  past 
raked  up.  Within  the  next  half  hour  he  would  very 
possibly  be  asking  her  to  be  his  wife.  He  wasn't 
sure  that  he  was  going  to ;  but  meeting  this  friend 
of  her  first  husband  on  her  doorstep  didn't  help  him 
to  make  up  his  mind.  He  was  no  longer  unsympa 
thetic  to  the  young  fellow,  but  he  was  quite  de 
termined  that  he  must  be  sent  about  his  business. 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,"  he  said,  "the  lady  you're 
in  search  of  does  live  here.  But  she's  not  Mrs.  Ger- 
vis  any  longer.  She's  married  again.  She's  Mrs. 
Lockwood  now." 


264   KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

A  glint  of  enmity  came  into  the  stranger's  eyes. 
"Then  you're  Mr.  Lockwood,  perhaps?" 

Tabs  answered  him  with  a  note  of  irritation. 
"I'm  not  Mr.  Lockwood.  She's  a  widow.  Lock- 
wood  also  was  killed.  But  I  really  don't  see  why  you 
should  stop  me  on  the  pavement  to  ask  so  many 
questions.  You  can  find  out  everything  by  ringing 
the  bell." 

"That's  right."  The  young  fellow  stroked  his 
mustache.  "But  I  didn't  want  to  do  that  until  I 
had  made  certain.  Surely  you  can  see  how  embar 
rassing —  And  now  this  third  chap's  gone  West, 
you  say.  Poor  little  Maisie,  she  hasn't  had  much 
luck." 

It  was  difficult  to  be  brusque  with  a  man  of  his 
own  class,  especially  with  a  man  so  genuinely  like 
able.  But  he  had  to  get  rid  of  him.  After  having 
nerved  himself  up  to  the  point  of  being  at  least  pre 
pared  to  propose  to  Maisie,  he  couldn't  contemplate 
an  evening  of  sharing  her  with  a  stranger  and  listen 
ing  to  the  merits  of  her  first  husband. 

"So  you're  an  old  friend !  Well,  I'm  afraid  she 
won't  be  free  this  evening.  I  have  an  appointment 
with  her.  But,  if  you  like,  I'll  mention  that  I  met 
you  and  I'll  let  her  know  that  you'll  call — when  shall 
we  say — to-morrow?  Perhaps  you'd  care  to  give  me 
your  name — 

The  young  man  smiled  good-naturedly.  "I 
couldn't  think  of  troubling  you  to  that  extent." 

"In  that  case,  I'll  have  to  ask  you  to  excuse  me. 
All  kinds  of  luck  to  you  on  your  return.  It  must 
be  rather  jolly  not  to  be  a  prisoner.  Good  evening.'* 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS   265 

Tabs  crossed  the  pavement  and  rang  the  bell.  In 
order  that  he  might  afford  no  opportunity  for  fur 
ther  conversation,  he  stood  with  his  face  towards 
the  door  while  he  waited  for  it  to  be  opened.  He  was 
very  conscious  that  the  stranger  had  not  departed, 
but  was  hovering  immediately  in  rear  of  him. 

It  was  Porter  who  answered  his  summons.  "I'm 

sorry,  your  Lordship,  Mrs.  Lockwood  is  out 

No,  she  didn't  leave  any  word.  She's  bound  to  be 

back  shortly Why,  certainly,  if  your  Lordship 

has  the  time." 

While  she  was  closing  the  front  door,  he  walked 
across  the  hall  and  let  himself  into  the  drawing- 
room.  He  went  directly  over  to  the  empty  fireplace 
and  gazed  up  at  Lady  Dawn's  portrait.  It  always 
seemed  to  challenge  him — seemed  to  be  trying  to  say 
something  to  him.  It  was  almost  as  though  it  were 
his  conscience  hanging  there  on  the  wall.  He  had 
an  idea  that  it  reproached  him  for  his  silence  with 
regard  to  Lord  Dawn.  He  felt  that,  were  he  to  do 
what  his  instinctive  sense  of  justice  had  first  urged 
— go  to  Lady  Dawn  and  tell  her  that  her  husband 
had  cared  for  her — the  painted  face  would  be  no 
longer  turned  away  and  the  stone-gray  eyes  no 
longer  averted. 

He  was  haunted  by  the  obsession  that  he  would 
never  have  any  luck  till  he  had  vindicated  the  dead 
man's  memory. 

It  was  Maisie  who  had  prevented  him  up  to  now — 
Maisie  with  her  laughter,  her  breezy  arguments,  her 
short  views  of  life,  her  contempt  for  sentiment,  her 
sledge-hammer  motto,  with  which  she  shattered  the 


266     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

past,  "I  never  dig  up  my  dead."  She  had  made  him 
hesitant  about  reopening  the  subject.  Her  sister 
was  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  England.  A  man 
never  knows  to  what  boundaries  a  woman's  jealousy 
spreads.  He  feared  lest,  if  he  persisted,  she  might 
impute  to  him  less  lofty  motives  than  the  desire  to 
play  fair  by  a  comrade-in-arms  who  had  gone  West. 

Something  stirred  behind  him.  He  swung  about 
and  found  himself  staring  into  the  face  of  the 
stranger  who  had  accosted  him  on  the  pavement. 

"Sargent  painted  it  ten  years  ago,"  the  stranger 
said.  "She's  not  as  young  as  that  now." 

"How  did  you  get  in?"  Tabs  demanded. 

The  stranger  laughed  boyishly.  "Not  too  loud  or 
you'll  give  the  show  away.  I  followed  you.  The 
maid  raised  no  objection.  She  thought  we  were  to 
gether — which  was  exactly  what  I  intended." 

"But  what  do  you  want?  What  right  have  you 
here?" 

"Want!  I  know  what  I  want.  As  to  my  right, 
that's  problematic." 

He  turned  his  back  on  Tabs  and  commenced  to 
move  about  the  room,  picking  things  up  and  examin 
ing  them  with  a  purposeful  curiosity.  He  showed 
no  fear,  yet  in  all  his  movements  there  was  a 
calculated  stealth.  Tabs  watched  him  in  amazement, 
wondering  what  he  ought  to  do.  If  it  came  to  grap 
pling  with  him,  unless  he  carried  fire-arms,  there  was 
little  doubt  as  to  who  would  get  the  better  of  the 
contest.  The  man  might  be  a  lunatic,  a  blackmailer, 
a  burglar;  by  his  odd  mode  of  entry,  he  had  laid 
himself  open  to  every  suspicion.  But  he  looked  per- 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  267 

fectly  normal;  and  if  he  had  been  a  burglar,  he 
surely  would  have  selected  an  opportunity  when  no 
other  man  was  present.  It  was  an  awkward  situa 
tion,  this  being  shut  up  alone  in  a  husbandless  wom 
an's  house  with  an  unknown  intruder.  It  seemed  to 
be  an  occasion  for  tact  rather  than  the  possible  fuss 
of  police  interference. 

At  this  moment  the  stranger  made  a  discovery. 

He  had  been  examining  the  five  silver  photograph- 
frames,  each  in  turn,  with  close  attention.  With 
his  back  towards  Tabs  he  remarked,  "It  looks  as 
though  she  hadn't  forgotten  him.  Five  reminders 
of  his  homely  mug  and  not  a  solitary  one  of  the  also- 
rans  !  Numbers  Two  and  Three  couldn't  have  made 
such  a  deep  impression."  He  caught  his  breath  in 
a  nervous  shudder.  "It's  queer.  Everything's  queer 
when  one's  just  come  back.  One's  so  changed  that 
he  could  court  his  own  wife  without  being  recog 
nized.  You,  too,  were  out  there  I  should  judge  by 
the  way  you  limp.  I  wonder  whether  you've  got  over 
the  queerness  yet.  I  haven't  had  time " 

From  in  front  of  the  empty  fireplace,  Tabs  inter 
rupted  him.  "Look  here,  my  dear  chap,  I  don't  want 
to  be  rude  and  this  isn't  my  house;  but  what's  your 
game?" 

The  stranger  turned  and  smiled.  His  frank  gray 
eyes  were  amused  and  friendly.  "Upon  my  word,  I 
haven't  any  game.  I'm  like  yourself — just  paying 
a  visit." 

Tabs  shook  his  head  and  gazed  at  him  fixedly. 
"It  won't  do ;  you  know  that.  You're  a  gentleman. 


268     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Gentlemen  don't  get  into  unprotected  women's  houses 
by  your  kind  of  methods." 

"They  don't.  That's  a  fact."  He  laughed  care 
lessly.  "I  suppose  this  is  what  comes  of  having  been 
a  prisoner  in  Germany.  One  prefers  to  be  under 
hand." 

"Don't  you  think  it's  time  you  stopped  fooling?" 
Tabs  spoke  in  a  conversational  tone  without  temper. 
"There's  Mrs.  Lockwood  to  be  considered;  she  may 
be  here  at  any  moment.  It's  no  good  coming  this  re 
turned  prisoner  trick ;  all  the  prisoners  in  Germany 
were  returned  shortly  after  the  Armistice.  Eight 
months  have  elapsed." 

"All  right.    Have  it  your  own  way." 

The  stranger  ceased  to  wander  and  sat  himself 
down  at  Maisie's  end  of  the  couch.  Pulling  out  his 
cigarette-case,  he  offered  it  to  Tabs.  "Have  a  gas 
per? You  don't  need  to  refuse  because  of 

Maisie.  If  she's  the  Maisie  she  used  to  be,  she  won't 
object. Well,  if  you  won't,  I  will." 

Tabs  noticed  that  his  hand  trembled  in  holding 
the  match.  The  man  was  a  bundle  of  nerves ;  he  was 
only  maintaining  this  display  of  coolness  with  an 
effort.  Whatever  the  purpose  of  his  bold  intru 
sion,  it  was  not  social,  as  he  had  pretended. 

"I  don't  like  any  man  to  think  me  a  liar."  The 
man  spoke  slowly  between  puffs  at  his  cigarette. 
"You  think  it's  all  bunkum  that  I'm  fresh  out  of 
Germany,  but  it  isn't.  Do  you  see  that?"  He  ran 
his  finger  across  the  gash  in  his  forehead.  "That 
and  the  ill-treatment  I  received  in  the  prison-camps 
made  me  go  wuzzy.  The  only  fact  about  myself  that 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  269 

I  could  remember  in  all  those  years  was  Maisie.  So 
it's  natural  that  I  should  come  to  see  her  first.  I 
wasn't  sure  of  my  own  identity  until  a  month  ago. 
I  suppose  I  was  released  at  the  Armistice,  but  for 
seven  out  of  the  past  eight  months  I  must  have  wan 
dered  in  rags  over  Central  Europe.  However,  all's 
well  that  ends  well,  and  here  I  am." 

"But  you  knew  that  she'd  remarried,"  Tabs  ob 
jected  suspiciously;  "you  asked  me  if  I  were  Gervis." 

"A  friend  of  Pollock's  told  me  that,"  he  explained. 
"Gervis  was  excusable.  But  this  Lockwood  fellow's 
the  third.  It's  a  bit  thick !  She  certainly  has  been 
going  it."  He  looked  up  suddenly.  "I've  been  doing 
all  the  talking.  What  about  yourself?" 

Tabs  crossed  the  room  and  opened  one  of  the  long 
French  windows  which  led  out  into  the  rockery.  The 
golden  afternoon  had  faded  into  early  evening  and 
a  refreshing  coolness  was  in  the  air.  When  he  came 
back,  he  seated  himself  at  the  other  end  of  the  couch. 
"Just  to  show  that  there's  no  ill-feeling,  I'll  accept 

one  of  your  gaspers,  if  you'll  allow  me. There's 

nothing  for  me  to  explain.  My  name  is  Lord  Tabor- 
ley  and  I'm  a  friend  of  Mrs.  Lockwood.  There's 
nothing  else." 

The  stranger  leaned  forward.  His  humor  left  him, 
revealing  his  premature  haggardness.  He  laid  a 
hand  on  Tabs'  arm  and  asked  a  question.  "You're 
fond  of  her?" 

Tabs  eyed  him  in  silence,  trying  to  divine  what  was 
intended.  "At  any  rate,  you  are,"  he  said  kindly ; 
"I  see  it  now." 

"Not  fond  of  her,  I'm  in  love  with  her."      The 


270      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

man's  face  softened  as  he  made  the  confession.  "I 
was  in  love  with  her  when  she  was  still  the  wife  of 
Pollock.  I've  been  through  deep  waters.  I've  had 
to  wait  for  her  like  Jacob  did  for  Rachel.  I've  lost 
most  things — my  memory,  my  health,  my  very  like 
ness  !  but  never  for  five  minutes  have  I  lost  my  love 

for  her.     She  was  the  only  star  in  my  darkness 

The  words  fell  from  him  with  somber  sincerity.  "I 
don't  know  whether  you  understand 

But  Tabs'  thoughts  had  turned  inwards.  He  was 
living  again  the  englamored  poignancy  of  the  years 
when  Terry  had  been  for  him  precisely  that — the 
only  star  in  his  darkness.  The  intensity  of  the  vision 
was  like  a  cry  of  warning  rousing  his  sleeping  ideal 
ism  from  its  lethargy.  His  present  errand  became 
a  treachery  to  be  swept  aside  by  his  refound 
strength.  He  recognized  the  intruder  with  new  eyes, 
not  as  an  enemy,  but  as  a  comrade — a  comrade  ma 
rooned  on  the  selfsame  island  of  loneliness  and  bound 
to  him  by  the  common  experience  of  a  kindred  ad 
versity.  He  was  like  Crusoe  discovering  the  foot 
print.  Here,  quite  close  to  him,  was  a  fellow  waif 
who  had  drunk  deep  of  his  own  bitter  sense  of  de 
sertion.  With  a  thrill  of  sympathy,  his  heart  turned 
to  him. 

"The  only  star  in  the  darkness !"  He  repeated 
the  stranger's  words.  "For  most  of  us  there's  been 

one  woman  who  was  all  of  that.     If  she  fails  us 

He  stifled  his  pessimism.  "When  stars  fail,  one 
waits  for  the  morning." 

"So  you,  too,  had  your  woman !" 

The  stranger  smiled  and  relaxed  against  the  cush- 


ions.  "Foolish  of  me !  You  can't  blame  me.  Twice 
I've  believed  that  I'd  lost  her.  First  there  was  Gervis 
and  then  this  Lockwood.  Poor  devils,  I  cry  quits  on 
them.  But  when  I  found  you  so  at  home  here,  you 
can  guess  what  I  dreaded.  And  yet  you'll  never 
guess  why  I  followed  you  into  this  house."  He  lit  a 
cigarette  and  crossed  his  legs.  "I  didn't  want  you  to 

escape  me  till  I'd  asked  a  question Has  it  ever 

entered  your  head  that  Pollock  might  not  be  dead?" 

Tabs  started.  Then  he  sat  very  still.  It  was  the 
commonplace  tone  in  which  the  question  had  been 
asked  that  froze  his  blood.  It  was  as  though  this 
man  had  said,  "I  can  bring  him  back."  For  a 
moment  he  knew  genuine  fear — the  non-physical 
fear  which  the  impalpable  can  awake  in  the  bravest 
mind.  Through  the  open  window  the  companionable 
mutter  of  London  entered.  The  normality  of  every 
thing  on  which  his  eyes  rested  did  its  best  to  re 
assure  him — the  mellow  evening  sunlight  in  the 
friendly  room,  the  flowers  in  the  rockery,  the  toy- 
boat  on  the  pond.  "I  never  dig  up  my  dead."  He 
remembered  Maisie's  motto.  But  what  if  the 
dead 

He  pulled  himself  together.  Pollock  not  dead! 
An  absurd  suggestion  !  Maisie  had  changed  her  name 
twice  since  then — a  sufficient  proof!  The  poor  fel 
low  was  demented.  Everything  that  he  had  done 
bore  the  hall-mark  of  insanity.  He  had  owned  that 
he  had  been  deranged  to  within  a  month  ago.  Every 
thing  that  he  had  said  might  be  quite  true.  He 
probably  had  been  the  dead  man's  friend  and  in  love 
with  Maisie  at  the  time  of  her  first  marriage.  The 


KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

misfortunes  that  had  befallen  him  had  exaggerated 
his  love  into  mania — a  mania  which  the  news  of 
Gervis  and  then  of  Lockwood  had  rendered  active. 
He  felt  an  immense  compassion  for  the  man.  There, 
save  for  the  grace  of  God,  sat  himself.  But  what 
was  to  be  done?  Already  Maisie  was  overdue.  Not 
a  second  could  be  wasted.  He  must  humor  him  and 
get  him  out  of  the  house,  if  a  scene  was  to  be 
prevented. 

And  all  the  time  the  stranger  had  been  watching 
him — following  his  thoughts,  no  doubt.  He  spoke 
again.  "Don't  you  agree  with  me?  It  would  be 
damned  awkward  if  Pollock  came  back.'* 

Tabs  forced  a  smile.  "I'm  not  so  sure  that  I  do. 
She  never  loved  any  one  but  her  first  husband.  She's 

told  me  so.  The  other  two I  don't  believe  she 

herself  knows  how  they  happened.  They  were  sol 
diers.  They  weren't  long  for  this  world.  She  didn't 
want  to  do  them  out  of  anything."  He  glanced 
at  his  watch.  "By  Jove,  and  I've  not  dined  yet! 
I'm  afraid  I  must  be  off.  How  about  you?  I'd  be 
awfully  glad  if  you'd  take  dinner  with  me." 

The  man  jumped  to  his  feet,  so  that  Tabs  rose 
with  him.  But  once  they  were  on  their  feet  an 
amused  expression  of  cunning  came  into  his  eyes. 
It  told  Tabs  plainly  that  he  had  seen  through  the 
strategy.  He  shook  his  head.  "Very  good  of  you. 
But  I'm  waiting  for  Maisie."  He  held  out  his  hand. 
It  was  evident  that  he  was  determined  to  take  Tabs 
at  his  word.  "Well  meet  again,  perhaps.  What 
you've  just  said  piques  my  curiosity.  Before  you 
go,  there's  one  more  question.  In  your  opinion  what 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  273 

would  Maisie's  attitude  be  if  Pollock  did  come 
back?" 

Tabs  was  instantly  aware  that  he  had  made  a 
false  move.  His  bluff  had  been  called.  He'd  made 
it  impossible  for  himself  to  prolong  his  call ;  at  the 
same  time  he  didn't  dare  to  leave  this  man  behind 
in  the  house.  It  wasn't  Maisie  that  he  was  think 
ing  of  now — he  could  warn  her  as  she  entered  the 
Court — it  was  Porter.  A  madman  was  capable  of 
anything:  and  yet,  confound  the  chap's  deceptive- 
ness,  he  didn't  look  mad.  There  was  only  one  chance 
of  delaying  his  departure:  at  all  costs  he  must  in 
volve  him  in  an  argument. 

"If  Pollock  came  back !  Curious  that  you  should 
suggest  that!  I've  sat  in  this  room  and  discussed 
the  possibility  with  Mrs.  Lockwood  by  the  hour. 
For  the  past  two  months — that's  as  long  as  I've 
known  her — I've  been  helping  her  to  live  as  though 
he  might  come  back." 

The  man's  coolness  instantly  vanished.  His  ex 
citement  grew  well-nigh  beyond  control.  "You're 
not  going.  Sit  down.  You've  got  to  explain."  He 
rapped  out  his  sentences  in  short,  quick  jerks.  His 
voice  had  become  harsh  and  imperative.  "You  can't 
have  any  idea  what  this  means  to  me.  It's  ridiculous. 
Why  should  you,  a  living  man,  help  her,  when  she's 
so  beautiful,  to  save  herself  for  a  dead  man?  She 
didn't  save  herself  in  the  case  of  Gervis  and  Lock- 
wood." 

With  a  sigh  of  relief  Tabs  reseated  himself.  The 
man  sank  down  beside  him,  crowding  against  him 


274      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

on  the  couch.  His  anxiety  was  sharp-pointed  as  a 
dagger.  "Quick,'*  he  urged. 

"I  don't  know  that  I  can  be  quick.'*  Tabs  spoke 
leisurely.  He  paused,  trying  to  think  what  he 
should  say  next.  "Here  it  is  in  a  nutshell.  Mrs. 
Lockwood,  as  we  both  know,  is  a  more  than  ordi 
narily  charming  woman.  She's  the  kind  who,  without 
being  able  to  prevent  herself,  draws  men.  There  are 
women  like  that.  Her  three  marriages,  all  taking 

place  so  close  together  gave  her  a  reputation 

You're  a  man  of  the  world ;  you'll  understand  that 
I'm  not  trying  to  say  anything  derogatory.  But 
three  matrimonial  adventures  in  such  rapid  succes 
sion  gave  her  a  reputation  for  lightness.  She  was 
young  and  pretty.  She  longed  to  live  life.  You 
can't  blame  her.  For  a  woman  life  isn't  a  very  full 
affair  without  a  man.  And  yet  there  aren't  many 
men  who  would  be  willing  to  choose  a  wife  with  three 
previous  husbands  to  her  credit.  It  would  seem  too 
much  like  a  week-end  experiment,  without  the  option 
of  parting  when  the  week  was  ended.  So  here  was 
the  injustice  of  her  social  situation ;  without  having 
committed  a  solitary  indiscretion,  she  was  damaged 
goods — debarred  from  matrimony,  yet  coveted  by 
men.  Do  you  realize  the  temptation — 

The  man  half  rose  in  his  irritation.  "You're  not 
answering  my  question."  The  violence  in  his  tone 
was  unmistakeable.  "What  I've  got  to  find  out  is, 
what  put  you  up  to  persuading  her  to  live  as  though 
Pollock  were  not  dead?" 

"I  was  coming  to  that."  Tabs  spoke  reassur 
ingly.  "Beneath  all  her  gayety  I  found,  when  I 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  275 

began  to  know  her,  that  she  was  desperate — des 
perate  to  live  in  the  sunshine  and  mortally  afraid 
of  shadows.  At  the  least  hint  of  shadows  she  grew 
reckless.  She  believed  that  her  happiness  was  in  the 
past.  So  I  taught  her  to  play  a  game — a  game 
that  has  often  saved  me  from  despair.  It  was  just 
this — to  act  as  though  all  the  goodness  one  has 
known  still  lies  ahead;  in  her  case  this  meant  living 
as  though  the  man  whom  she  had  loved  were  not  dead, 
but  waiting  for  her  round  some  future  corner.  So 

that  was  why •  But  I  think  I've  answered  your 

question." 

Tabs  rose  from  the  couch  and  limped  over  to  the 
empty  fireplace.  He  stood  there  beneath  the  por 
trait  of  Lady  Dawn,  supporting  himself  with  one 
arm  against  the  mantel.  The  room  was  beginning 
to  fill  with  dusk.  Beyond  the  threshold  of  the  open 
window,  the  rockery-garden  was  still  vaguely  golden. 
The  little  pond  was  a  silver  mirror. 

Perhaps  two  minutes  had  elapsed.  Uncertainly  the 
stranger  struggled  to  his  feet.  He  moved  towards 
the  door,  halted  and  came  slowly  back.  He  looked 
very  spent,  and  slim,  and  wasted  in  the  gathering 
shadows.  As  Tabs  gazed  down  at  him,  he  noticed 
that  his  face  was  prodigiously  solemn. 

"I  don't  mind  now."  He  swallowed  like  a  small 
D°3r  getting  rid  of  his  emotion.  "I  don't  mind  Gervis 
or  Lockwood  any  longer;  it's  as  though  they'd  never 
happened.  And  I  don't  feel  hard  to  her,  the  way  I 
might  have.  I'm  glad  you  told  her  about  things 
being  round  the  corner.  Because  I'm  Pollock.  I 
have  come  back." 


276      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Tabs  stared  at  him.  He  was  deeply  moved.  To 
humor  him  in  his  delusion  seemed  the  height  of  cal 
lousness.  Yet  what  else  was  possible  under  the  cir 
cumstances? 

"Of  course  you're  Pollock,'*  he  assured  him  gently. 
"One  wouldn't  recognize  you  from  your  portraits, 
but  I  ought  to  have  guessed." 

The  man  caught  the  deception  in  his  tone.  He 

lifted  up  his  puzzled  gray  eyes.  "You  don't 

No,  I  see  you  don't.  You  don't  believe  me.  Yet  I 
am  Pollock." 

"My  dear  chap,"  Tabs  said  it  coaxingly,  "I  don't 
see  why  you  should  think  I  doubt  you.  I'm  quite 
certain  you're  Pollock — Reggie  Pollock,  the  first  of 
all  the  aces:  the  man  who  brought  down  the  Zep 
pelin  over  Brussels.  You  see  I  know  all  about  you. 
Your  picture  was  in  the  papers.  I've  told  you  that 
you  were  expected.  So  why " 

The  front  door  was  heard  to  open  and  close. 
There  was  the  sound  of  Maisie's  voice.  They 
stood  rigidly  listening  in  the  semi-darkness.  Neither 
of  them  spoke  or  stirred.  As  she  entered,  a  shaft 
of  light  from  the  hall  preceded  her.  Quietly 
Tabs  placed  himself  between  her  and  the  strang-er. 
The  stranger  made  no  motion  to  thwart  him;  he 
stood  like  one  turned  to  stone.  Just  across  the 
threshold  she  halted,  leaning  forward  slightly  and 
peering  through  the  shadows. 

"Why,  Tabs,"  she  laughed,  "how  romantic  of  you 
to  sit  waiting  for  me  in  the  twilight !" 

Tabs  came  forward  as  though  he  were  about  to 
push  her  back.  "I'm  not  alone,  Mrs.  Lockwood 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  277 

"I  know.  Porter  told  me.  But  why  are  you 
standing  in  my  way?"  She  laughed  again.  A  shiver 
of  fear  cut  short  her  laughter.  "What's  the  mat 
ter?  I  don't  see  your  friend.  Why  don't  you  in 
troduce " 

"He's  not  my  friend.    He  says  he's  yours." 

"Then  all  the  more  reason Why  are  you 

acting  strangely?  No,  please  let  me  into  my  own 
room,  Tabs." 

He  had  put  out  his  arm  to  prevent  her.  With 
out  warning  the  stranger  advanced  into  the  shaft  of 
light.  She  saw  him  and  fell  back  screaming,  cover 
ing  her  eyes.  With  a  vehemence  that  was  unex 
pected,  he  pushed  Tabs  aside  and  clasped  her  to  him. 
"Maisie  darling,  don't  be  afraid.  I'm  real.  I  know 
everything.  And  I  don't  mind " 

At  sound  of  his  voice,  she  uncovered  her  eyes.  His 
face  was  close  to  hers.  The  fixed  look  of  terror  left 
her. 

Putting  out  her  hands  timidly,  she  ran  her  fingers 
along  the  scar  in  his  forehead.  "They've  hurt  you. 
Poor  you !  My  Reggie !  Oh,  my  lover,  thev've  hurt 
you!" 

She  buried  her  head  against  his  shoulder  and  fell 
to  weeping  passionately. 

II 

Neither  of  them  had  seen  him  go.  He  had  tip 
toed  past  them  like  a  ghost  and  out  into  the  summer 
night.  The  sky  was  luminous  with  the  dust  of  stars. 
A  sleepy  wind  was  blowing. 


278      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

He  jumped  into  his  car  and  sped  away,  making 
such  haste  that  one  might  have  thought  he  was  pur 
sued.  He  wheeled  to  the  left  in  the  direction  that 
led  to  the  Surrey  hills.  It  was  the  direction  he  had 
taken  with  Terry  on  that  March  morning  when  she 
had  met  him  at  the  station.  He  was  making  a  dis 
covery:  that  there  is  no  tragedy  more  difficult  to 
contemplate  with  charity  than  the  sight  of  other  peo 
ple's  happiness.  Their  follies  we  can  tolerate  and 
view  even  with  compassion;  but  their  joys  are  unen 
durable.  Joy  separates  men  with  impassable  bar 
riers.  It  transfigures  beggars  into  Lazaruses  lying 
at  rest  in  Abraham's  bosom.  We  view  them  from 
afar  off  and  their  contentment  increases  the  burning 
of  our  torment.  No  man  has  }Tet  discovered  how  to 
share  his  joy.  Only  a  god  could  say,  "My  joy  I  give 
unto  you." 

They  had  not  seen  him  go.  That  was  the  neglect 
that  rankled.  Even  though  they  had  seen  him,  they 
would  not  have  cared ;  they  would  have  done  nothing 
to  delay  him.  They  were  past  all  caring.  Like  tired 
ships,  having  weathered  many  storms,  they  had 
furled  their  sails  in  the  harbor  of  desire.  He  had 
slipped  by  them  like  a  demon  vessel,  all  canvas 
spread,  out-going  on  his  endless  voyage. 

From  the  door,  before  he  left,  he  had  looked  back. 
The  room  was  a-silver  with  twilight.  The  garden 
beyond  was  still  vaguely  golden.  The  pond  glim 
mered  darkly  like  a  magic  mirror.  The  murmur  of 
London  wove  patterns  on  the  silence.  From  the 
hall  across  the  silver  of  the  dusk,  an  intrusive  shaft 
of  light  pointed  like  a  finger  at  those  two  entranced, 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  279 

who  had  refound  the  peace  that  time  had  scattered. 

Even  though  Pollock  had  not  returned,  he  himself 
could  never  have  married  her.  There  are  violations 
of  the  austerity  of  the  soul  which  the  urgings  of  the 
flesh  cannot  accomplish.  In  the  vivid  flash  of  real 
ity  that  had  visited  him  he  knew  that  now.  He  was 
angry — bitterly  angry.  But  his  anger  was  not  for 
her;  it  was  for  himself.  He  could  be  so  audaciously 
prophetic  in  the  affairs  of  others.  He  could  advise 
them  and  well-nigh  compel  them  to  conserve  them 
selves  for  kingdoms  of  whose  coming  there  was 
neither  the  slightest  hope  nor  warning.  His  pene 
trating  optimism  could  foresee  the  daringly  incredi 
ble,  so  that  it  almost  seemed  in  the  case  of  Maisie 
that  his  optimism  had  created  out  of  the  incredible 
a  fact.  He  could  work  these  miracles  of  restraint 
for  others ;  himself  he  could  not  restrain.  His  road 
ran  straight  as  destiny,  yet  any  lazy  kingdom  of 
mildness  in  a  woman's  eyes  was  capable  of  luring  him 
aside.  In  his  abasement  he  lost  all  faith  in  his  self- 
knowledge.  Hadn't  he  always  been  the  victim  of 
an  imagination  which  had  tricked  mere  liking  into  a 
resemblance  to  passion?  He  strutted,  gestured, 
despaired  till  he  almost  persuaded  himself  that  he 
was  the  part  he  was  acting.  But  had  he  the  faintest 
conception  of  what  real  love  meant?  Hadn't  he  al 
ways  acted  a  part?  Yes,  even  in  the  case  of  Terry! 

His  saner  judgment  intervened.  He  hadn't  al 
ways  been  like  that.  Where  had  the  point  of  de 
parture  started?  He  traced  back  the  weakness  till 
he  came  to  the  moment  when  he  had  permitted  his 
sense  of  justice  to  be  over-ruled  by  a  woman.  It  had 


280      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

started  with  Maisie,  when  he  had  allowed  her  to  per 
suade  him  to  hide  the  truth  from  Lady  Dawn. 

He  jammed  on  the  brakes,  bringing  the  car  to  a 
sudden  halt.  To  go  and  tell  her  must  be  the  first 
step  in  his  redemption.  Till  that  was  done  the  curse 
of  the  dead  man  would  follow  him.  It  seemed  to  him 
now,  as  he  looked  back,  that  through  all  the  spring 
and  summer  the  shadow  of  Lord  Dawn  had  crept  be 
hind  him.  He  would  go  at  once.  He  would  go  that 
night.  He  knew  where  he  could  find  her.  He  would 
set  out  like  a  pilgrim  of  long  ago  through  the  moon- 
drenched,  hay-scented  sweetness  of  the  country, 

His  vision  turned  outwards.  He  realized  for  the 
first  time  where  he  had  halted.  He  was  within  sight 
of  Richmond  Park,  outside  The  Star  and  Garter 
Hotel,  the  old  haunt  of  merry-makers,  which  had 
now  become  a  permanent  hospital  for  the  mutilated. 
There  were  lights  to  mark  the  windows  of  men  who 
suffered.  As  he  watched,  some  leaped  up;  others 
were  snapped  out.  He  could  hear  in  memory  the 
starchy  rustling  of  nurses  and  the  creaking  of 
springs  as  the  patients  turned.  There  were  men  in 
there  without  arms  and  legs  and  faces  ;  he  had  shared 
their  danger  and  he  had  been  spared.  Surely  the 
God  who  had  covered  him  with  His  mantle,  had  had 
some  plan — some  design  of  goodness  for  him ! 

Far  below  in  a  curving  streak  of  blessedness  the 
Thames  ran  silvered  by  the  moonlight.  He  could  see 
the  clumped  shadows  of  woods  and  the  flicker  of 
ripples  striking  fire  against  the  banks.  More  dis 
tantly  London  glowed — a  golden  flower  cupped  in 
the  hollowed  hand  of  night.  Holding  his  breath  he 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  281 

listened  to  the  loudness  of  the  quiet.  Subtle  ecsta 
sies  drifted  to  him,  fluttering  like  moths  against  the 
windows  of  his  mind — "lilies  like  thoughts,  roses  like 
words,  in  the  sweet  brain  of  June."  TJiere  was  a 
design.  Maisie  had  found'her  kingdom.  Was  it  too 
much  to  expect  that  round  some  future  turning  God 
had  another  kingdom  waiting? 

Ill 

He  drove  back  to  London  by  the  directest  route. 
He  would  have  to  get  supper  before  he  made  a  start. 
By  the  time  he  had  done  that,  packed  his  bag, 
and  refilled  his  tank  it  would  be  close  on  midnight. 
Dawn  Castle  lay  somewhere  down  in  Gloucestershire. 
He  knew  the  road  as  far  as  Oxford;  after  that  his 
ideas  were  vague. 

He  was  a  little  daunted  by  the  thought  of  Lady 
Dawn.  Everything  that  he  had  heard  about  her, 
including  his  first  meeting  with  her,  had  served  to 
daunt  him.  He  pictured  her  as  a  woman  with  a 
conscience  clear-cut  as  a  cameo — a  woman,  infallible 
and  unsubdued,  impatient  of  foolishness  and  gentle 
in  her  spirit  with  the  cold  tranquillity  of  a  landscape 
under  ice.  How  would  she  receive  him,  coming  out 
of  nowhere,  unheralded  and  unexplained?  And  how 
could  he  explain  the  urgency  that  had  compelled  him 
to  come  to  her?  It  was  a  delicate  task  that  he  had 
set  himself,  this  seeking  out  a  woman  with  whom  he 
was  unacquainted,  that  he  might  tell  her  that  her 
husband  had  not  hated  her  when  he  died.  What  con 
cern  was  it  of  his,  she  might  well  ask.  If  she  chose 


282     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

to  be  hostile,  there  were  no  arguments  by  which  he 
could  defend  his  interference.  His  sole  justification 
was  his  deep-rooted  conviction  that  he  was  doing 
right. 

She  never  cried.  How  often  Maisie  had  insisted 
on  her  sister's  abstinence  from  tears,  as  though  it 
was  something  monstrous  that  summed  up  all  her 
character !  He  would  have  felt  far  more  comfortable 
in  visiting  her  if  he  had  been  assured  that  she  some 
times  cried. 

As  he  turned  into  Brompton  Square,  he  thought 
he  caught  the  door  of  his  house  in  the  act  of  closing. 
He  might  have  been  mistaken.  It  was  dark  under 
the  shadow  of  the  trees.  Quite  possibly  it  had  been 
the  door  of  a  neighbor's  house.  Nevertheless,  he 
hugged  the  curb  as  he  drove  so  that  he  might  scan 
the  face  of  any  one  on  the  pavement.  Forty  yards 
from  his  doorstep,  at  a  point  where  things  were 
darkest,  a  man  passed  him.  He  was  a  tall  man  and 
walked  with  the  erectness  of  one  who  had  been  a 
soldier.  The  way  in  which  he  carried  himself  and 
strode  was  extraordinarily  reminiscent.  Tabs  slowed 
down  and  looked  back ;  the  man  moved  straight 
ahead,  without  hesitancy  or  sign  of  recognition.  It 
couldn't  be  Braithwaite ;  Ann's  vicinity  was  the  least 
likely  place  in  which  to  find  him. 

As  Tabs  let  himself  into  his  house,  he  found  Ann 
in  the  hall.  "Was  there  some  one  here  to  see  me?" 
he  asked. 

"There's  been  no  one  to  see  your  Lordship,"  Ann 
replied  respectfully. 

He  scarcely  knew  what  prompted  him  to  say  it. 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  283 

Perhaps  it  was  the  healthy  neatness  of  her  appear 
ance — the  extreme  orderliness  of  her  quiet.  "Ann, 
you're  the  sanest  creature  I  meet  anywhere.  You've 
the  pluck  of  one  in  a  million." 

She  turned  to  him  a  face  that  was  flushing  and 
eyes  that  were  unusually  bright.  "It's  good  of 
your  Lordship.  Your  Lordship  is  always  kind." 

"No,  Ann,  only  human.  I  know  what  you've  been. 

through  and  I'm  glad  you're  getting  over  it I 

have  to  be  away  to-night.  I  shall  need  some  supper. 
While  you're  preparing  it,  I'll  pack." 

On  the  way  upstairs  he  telephoned  the  garage  to 
send  for  his  car  and  to  return  it  within  the  hour. 
Then  he  climbed  the  last  flight  to  his  bedroom. 

While  he  packed,  he  kept  pausing  and  knitting  his 
brows.  A  ridiculous  conviction  was  forming  in  his 
mind.  "It  couldn't  have  been,"  he  assured  himself. 
Yet  the  more  he  recalled  the  man  on  the  pavement 
the  more  certain  he  was  that  he  had  been  Steely 
Jack.  But  what  motive  could  Braithwaite  have 
had  for  calling  and  why  should  Ann  try  to  hide  the 
fact  that  he  had  called?  He  had  lost  trace  of  him 
utterly  since  that  day  when  he  had  handed  him 
Terry's  ultimatum  at  the  Savoy.  Since  then  Terry 
and  he  had  had  many  meetings,  he  did  not  doubt. 
Braithwaite's  influence  clung  to  her  like  her  shadow. 
But  if  he  was  so  in  love  with  Terry,  the  more  reason 
why  he  should  steer  clear  of  Ann.  To  have  called 
at  Brompton  Square  would  have  been  asking  for  a 
cloudburst.  It  couldn't  have  been  Braithwaite.  And 
yet 

And  then  there  was  Ann.     Sine**  that  day  when 


284      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

the  General's  portrait  had  appeared  in  the  papers, 
she  had  given  up  watching  for  letters  marked,  "On 
His  Majesty's  Service."  She  had  made  no  further 
enquiries  as  to  how  his  Lordship's  friend  at  the  War 
Office  was  progressing.  Her  silence  told  its  story; 
she  had  learned  the  truth.  In  what  spirit  she  had 
accepted  the  truth  Tabs  had  no  means  of  guessing. 
Lady  Hamilton,  the  little  maid-of-all-work,  had 
been  the  beloved  of  Nelson.  Ann  was  not  without 
her  precedent.  But  the  maid-of-all-work  had  become 
Lady  Hamilton  before  the  Admiral  had  set  eyes  on 
her.  Steely  Jack  was  a  General,  while  Ann  was  still 
a  servant.  Her  claims  would  not  meet  with  much 
applause  if  they  were  brought  before  a  jury. 

To  all  appearance  she  had  resigned  herself  to  the 
inevitable.  Tabs  was  frankly  surprised  at  her  mag 
nanimity  and  fortitude.  About  her  fortitude  there 
could  be  no  question,  but  concerning  her  magnan 
imity  he  was  not  a  little  skeptical.  More  than  once 
he  had  caught  her  singing  as  she  went  about  her 
work.  She  didn't  get  all  the  words  correctly;  she 
sang  them  with  improvisions,  filling  in  the  gaps  where 
her  memory  failed.  Throughout  the  war  the  song 
had  been  sung  to  men  on  leave  at  the  Alhambra  by 
the  heroine  who  acted  the  revengeful  part  of  Tootsie: 

"Some  day   I'll  make  you  love  me. 
Some  day  you'll  call  me  'Dear'. 
You'll  feel  so  lonely 
And  want  me  only; 
I'm  sure  you'll  want  me  near. 
I  know  you  can't  forget  me, 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  285 

Though,  dear,  for  years  you'll  try. 
I'll  make  you  miss  me 
And  want  to  kiss  me, 
Bye  and  bye." 

She  was  a  mystery.  If  she  were  playing  a  game, 
it  was  a  game  the  intentions  of  which  he  could  not 
fathom.  The  man  whom  he  had  passed  on  the  pave 
ment  could  not  have  been  Braithwaite.  Common- 
sense  insisted  on  that. 

IV 

While  he  was  at  supper  she  gave  him  no  chance  to 
question  her.  "I'm  motoring  down  to  Dawn  Castle," 
he  told  her.  "I've  left  the  address  on  my  desk. 
Don't  forward  any  letters  till  you  hear  from  me.  I 
don't  suppose  that  I  shall  be  there  for  more  than  a 
day.  To  tell  the  truth,"  he  glanced  up  smiling  at 
her  seriousness,  "I  haven't  been  invited." 

Ann  refused  to  be  lured  off  her  perch  of  reticence. 
She  set  before  him  the  dish  she  was  carrying.  "I'm 
sure  wherever  your  Lordship  goes  there's  a  wel 
come." 

He  felt  that  he  was  being  reproved.  He  had  been 
conscious  of  her  silent  criticism  from  the  moment 
he  had  announced  that  he  would  be  away  for  the 
night.  He  respected  Ann  and  was  anxious  for  her 
good  opinion.  She  was  by  long  odds  the  most  hon 
orable  woman  of  his  acquaintance  and  the  best,  be 
cause  she  was  the  kindest.  He  had  had  the  feeling 
throughout  the  past  two  months  that  there  was  very 
little  that  had  happened  inside  his  brain  that  had 


286  KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

escaped  her.  She  had  disapproved  of  Maisie.  She 
had  shown  no  enthusiasm  for  Terry.  She  had  been 
aware  of  his  dangers  when  he  himself  was  disguising 
them  with  excuses.  All  this  he  knew  though  no  word 
had  been  exchanged.  She  had  observed  in  all  her 
dealings  with  him  the  decorum  to  be  expected  from 
a  high-class  servant.  And  yet  she  was  his  trusted 
friend,  whose  virtues  compelled  his  admiration  and 
whose  loyalty  commanded  his  affection.  She  thought 
ahead  for  him  and  smoothed  his  path.  Her  sense 
of  responsibility  was  as  tender  as  a  sister's.  Her 
humility  lent  it  a  touch  of  pathos.  He  looked  up  to 
her  as  men  instinctively  look  up  to  good  women  in 
whatever  grade  of  society  they  find  them.  The 
silent  knowledge  which  each  had  of  the  other  formed 
a  bond  of  sympathy,  the  more  delicate  because  it  was 
unuttered. 

He  said,  "Long  ago — it  must  have  been  before  the 
war — I  gave  you  tickets  to  see  Peter  Pan." 

"It  wasn't  to  me  your  Lordship  gave  them.  It 
was  to  Braithwaite." 

"Was  it?"  He  held  her  eyes,  striving  to  peer  be 
hind  their  curtained  windows.  It  was  the  first  time 
that  that  name  had  been  mentioned  between  them  in 
casual  conversation.  "You're  right.  It  comes  back 
to  me  now.  It  was  the  Christmas  of  1913  that  he 
took  you.  Do  you  remember  the  fairy  who  was 
dying?  There  was  only  one  way  of  keeping  her 
alive.  Peter  Pan  had  to  make  the  children  in  the 
audience  promise  that  they  believed  in  fairies.  When 
they  did  that,  she  got  well.  That's  why  I'm  going 
to  Dawn  Castle  to-night." 


Ann  ceased  abruptly  from  what  she  was  doing 
and  stared  at  her  master  in  concern.  He  laughed 
mischievously.  "Wrong  again,  Ann ;  I've  not  taken 
leave  of  my  senses.  Two  hours  ago  I  made  the  same 
mistake.  There  was  a  man  who  asked  me  whether  I 
believed  that  Mrs.  Lockwood's  first  husband,  who 
was  killed  at  the  Front,  would  return.  While  I  was 
wondering  how  long  it  would  be  before  he'd  grow 
violent,  he  proved  to  me  that  he  was  her  first  hus 
band.  So  I'm  believing  in  fairies." 

A  secret  happiness  lit  up  her  face.  "Deep  down 
beneath  our  doubts,  most  of  us  believe  in  fairies,  I 
think,  your  Lordship."  With  a  shy  smile  she  left 
him. 

The  purring  of  an  engine  warned  him  that  the  car 
had  returned  and  was  waiting.  He  could  hear 
Ann  in  the  hall,  handing  out  his  bags.  He  had 
finished  his  supper;  he  might  as  well  be  off.  As 
he  drove  out  of  the  Square,  he  looked  back;  she 
was  standing  on  the  steps,  gazing  after  him.  He 
had  the  restless  certainty,  now  that  it  was  too  late, 
that  she  had  had  a  secret  which,  at  the  last  moment, 
she  would  have  given  the  world  to  have  shared  with 
him. 


Of  that  night  journey  in  after  years  he  remem 
bered  only  the  deep  peace  and  the  ecstasy.  He  was 
doing  something  at  last  that  was  right ;  though  why 
it  was  right,  he  would  have  found  it  hard  to  ex 
plain.  He  encountered  none  of  the  difficulties  he 
had  anticipated  in  picking  up  his  direction.  He 


288      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

flew  unswervingly  to  the  mark  like  a  bullet  travel 
ing  a  predestined  path.  The  first  sixty  miles  were 
familiar ;  Maisie  had  covered  them  with  him  on  many 
occasions.  By  every  law  of  emotion  each  landmark 
should  have  stirred  some  poignant  memory,  some 
fresh  wistfulness  of  regret.  The  fact  was  that  he 
hardly  gave  her  a  thought.  When  he  did,  it  was 
only  to  wish  her  luck  and  to  congratulate  himself 
on  his  escape. 

Having  passed  through  Oxford  lying  blanched  in 
moonlight,  he  climbed  out  of  the  Thames  valley, 
striking  through  uplands  across  the  wold  to  Bur- 
ford.  From  then  on  all  memories  were  left  behind; 
he  had  become  an  explorer  in  an  unknown  country. 

Everything  was  sleeping.  How  trustfully  it 
slept !  Trees  were  hooded  like  extinguished  candles. 
Flowers  throughout  the  fields  clasped  their  faces  in 
their  hands.  Birds,  like  fluffy  balls,  drowsed 
on  branches.  Stars  alone  were  wakeful.  They 
stooped  to  watch  him  with  intent,  companionable 
glances.  Now  and  then  he  had  to  halt  to  flash  his 
torch  on  a  sign-post  or  to  consult  his  map.  For 
the  most  part  he  took  chances  and  guessed. 

Night  engulfed  him,  rushed  past  him,  broke  over 
him.  He  was  like  a  ship  thrusting  forward  into  a 
trackless  ocean. 

The  paleness  of  dawn  was  in  the  sky  as  he  neared 
Gloucester.  When  he  entered,  its  roofs  and  towers 
were  precipices  of  gold  and  fire,  straining  up  to  the 
New  Jerusalem  which  floated  in  the  clouds.  The 
streets  of  the  ancient  city  had  a  mystic  look,  white 
and  hushed  and  tenantless.  But  already  the  cheeky 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  289 

sparrows  were  about,  scandal-mongering  beneath  the 
eaves  with  an  unholy  disregard  for  the  awe  by  which 
they  were  surrounded. 

He  left  Gloucester  in  a  southwesterly  direction. 
In  fields  the  hay  was  lying  cut.  A  largesse  of  dew 
had  been  scattered  through  the  hedge-rows  like  loot 
from  the  treasure-chests  of  emperors.  Larks  were 
battling  up,  striving  to  sing  against  the  very  bars 
of  heaven.  Every  fragrance  and  sound  was  a  mes 
senger,  guaranteeing  happiness. 

Round  a  bend  in  the  road  he  came  across  a  cluster 
of  thatched  cottages,  their  white  walls  gleaming 
incandescent  in  the  morning  sunshine.  Beyond  them 
lay  a  parkland,  from  the  edge  of  which  rose  a 
wooded  knoll,  crowned  by  a  moated  castle.  The 
next  mile-stone  warned  him  that  it  was  the  village 
of  Dawn  he  was  approaching. 

VI 

All  day  he  had  waited — a  lazy  summer  day, 
drowsy  with  the  hum  of  bees  and  heavy  with  the 
perfume  of  cottage  flowers.  On  entering  the  village 
he  had  put  up  at  Tlie  Dawn  Arms,  an  old-fashioned 
hunting  hostel  which  owed  its  prosperity  to  the  fame 
of  the  Dawn  foxhounds.  Having  bathed  and  break 
fasted,  he  had  started  off  to  leave  his  card  on  Lady 
Dawn.  Arriving  at  the  Castle,  he  had  been  informed 
that  her  Ladyship  had  left  early  that  morning  and 
was  not  expected  back  till  early  evening.  He  had 
filled  in  the  morning  by  sleeping  and  the  afternoon 
by  joining  a  band  of  sight-seeing  trippers  who  had 


290      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

driven  over  from  Gloucester  in  gayly-painted  chars- 
a-bancs. 

With  a  spice  of  amusement,  he  had  paid  his  shil 
ling  for  admission  at  the  wooden  booth  outside  the 
Castle  gate  and  had  found  himself  herded  with  a 
crowd  of  affectionately  inclined  young  women  and 
young  men  who  perspired  freely — the  latter  for  the 
sake  of  greater  comfort  had  removed  their  coats  and 
knotted  handkerchiefs  about  their  throats.  In 
good  time  a  decrepit  ex-butler  had  appeared  to  act 
as  guide  and  had  led  the  excursionists  over  the  Nor 
man  part  of  the  ruins.  He  had  shown  them  the 
dungeons,  the  room  in  which  a  prince  had  been 
murdered  and  the  havoc  wrought  upon  the  walls  by 
Cromwellian  cannon.  The  ever  recurring  theme  of 
his  trembling  narrative  was  the  prowess  and  the 
splendor  of  the  Dawns.  He  was  like  a  weak-voiced 
cricket  chirping  in  the  sunshine.  His  stories  of  by 
gone  lords,  who  had  died  in  rebellions  and  crusades, 
were  too  ancient  to  grip  the  imagination.  At  first 
his  veneration  for  the  race  which  he  served  inspired 
an  outward  show  of  respect  on  the  part  of  his 
hearers.  But  soon,  in  straggling  twos  and  threes, 
they  lagged  behind  to  explore  and  pluck  wall-flowers 
from  the  crannies.  Girls,  feeling  the  pressure 
of  lovers'  arms  about  their  waists,  giggled  shrilly. 
They  wandered  off  to  shady  nooks  in  the  grass- 
grown  ramparts  where  woolly  sheep  looked  up  som 
nolently  to  watch  them. 

To  the  few  who  remained  the  old  man  mumbled 
on.  It  was  the  nobility  of  the  late  Lord  Dawn  that 
he  was  now  recounting — the  daring  horseman  he 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  291 

had  been,  the  deviltry  of  him,  the  lust  of  life  he 
had  had,  the  greatness  of  his  possessions  and  how 
he  had  foregone  all  this  beauty  to  be  hammered 
into  the  defilement  of  the  trenches  like  a  rat,  cor 
nered  in  a  sewer. 

"Visitors  are  not  allowed  in  the  part  of  the  Castle 
that  is  inhabited.  But,  since  her  Ladyship's 
away — 

Unlocking  a  door,  he  led  them  through  a  tunnel 
to  a  grilled  gate,  through  the  bars  of  which  they 
saw  the  Castle's  terraced  rose-gardens,  falling  away 
steeply  in  a  cascade  of  petals  to  a  water-lilied,  green- 
scummed  moat  which  encircled  the  stronghold  like 
a  necklace  of  jade.  Beside  the  water's  edge  a  fair- 
haired  boy  in  a  white  sailor  suit  was  deeply  absorbed 
in  sailing  a  boat. 

"His  little  Lordship,"  the  old  man  whispered. 

"But  I  didn't  know How  old?"  Tabs  ques 
tioned. 

"Eight  years,  sir,  come  December." 

Long  after  he  had  returned  to  the  inn,  the  picture 
of  the  little  boy  remained  with  him.  This  discovery 
that  Lord  Dawn  had  left  a  son  made  him  the  more 
certain  of  the  justice  of  his  errand. 

The  azure  and  emerald  of  late  afternoon  drifted 
into  the  ensanguined  gold  of  sunset.  The  long- 
tarrying  twilight  had  already  settled  when  a  mes 
senger  arrived,  bearing  a  note.  It  was  from  her 
Ladyship,  regretting  her  absence  and  saying  that 
she  would  be  happy  to  receive  a  visit  from  Lord 
Taborley  that  evening  or  at  any  time  that  was  con 
venient. 


292      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

VII 

He  set  out  at  once.  Heretofore,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  Terry,  women  had  meant  little  to  him.  But 
he  was  curious  to  meet  this  woman — curious  and 
eager  in  a  strangely  boyish  fashion.  Every  one 
who  had  mentioned  her  had  spoken  of  her  with  a 
certain  hint  of  fear,  not  untinged  with  adoration. 
He  hadn't  been  aware  how  anxious  he  had  been  to 
meet  her  until  her  note  had  summoned  him.  He 
wondered  whether  she  had  any  of  the  endearing 
humanity  of  her  sister.  He  wondered  whether  what 
Pollock  had  said  was  true,  that  she  looked  much 
older  than  her  portrait.  He  didn't  want  her  to 
look  older 

He  came  to  the  bridge  across  the  moat  and  the 
gateway  which  bore  the  grooves  in  which  the  old 
portcullis  used  to  slide.  He  passed  through  the 
gateway,  under  the  tower,  into  the  graveled  court 
yard  of  the  Castle.  On  three  sides  the  courtyard 
was  loop-holed  and  sullen,  but  on  the  fourth  modern 
windows  and  a  brass-knobbed  door  had  been  let  into 
the  solid  masonry.  Above  the  door,  shining  down 
on  the  whitened  steps,  a  lamp  burnt  in  a  wrought- 
iron  socket.  Several  of  the  windows  were  also 
lighted. 

His  knock  was  answered  by  a  gray-haired  man, 
with  the  gravity  of  deportment  which  is  peculiar  to 
lawyers,  undertakers  and  footmen.  While  the  man 
went  to  inform  his  mistress,  Tabs  was  left  to  note 
how  the  hall  was  hung  with  hunting  trophies.  Then 
he  heard  himself  being  requested  to  follow. 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  293 

Having  climbed  a  winding  stair,  he  was  shown  into 
a  room  in  the  turret,  one  side  of  which  was  filled 
by  a  tall  leaded  window  gazing  westward.  The 
landscape  which  it  framed,  hung  against  the  dark 
ness  like  a  painted  canvas — a  far-reaching  expanse 
of  tree-dotted  pasture,  vague  with  islands  of  mist 
and  rimmed  by  the  last  faint  sparks  of  the  sunset. 
The  ceiling  was  heavily  beamed,  the  furniture 
Jacobean,  the  walls  paneled  and  hung  with  many 
generations  of  family  portraits.  In  a  wide  hearth 
a  fire  of  coals  and  logs  was  burning.  In  the  room's 
center  stood  a  carved  table  on  which  was  set  a 
massive  silver  lamp,  casting  a  solitary  illumination. 

"Lord  Taborley,  my  Lady." 

As  his  name  was  announced,  he  heard  the  rustle 
of  her  dress,  and  discovered  that  she  had  been  seated 
in  a  low  chair  by  the  window.  She  rose  with  a  slow 
grace.  There  was  something  indefinably  tragic  and 
foreordained  about  her  every  movement.  Maisie's 
name  for  her  flashed  into  his  mind,  "The  Princess 
Czarina  Bolsheviki."  It  suited  her  exactly.  In 
those  surroundings  she  might  have  posed  as  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots  in  prison — a  queen  without  a  king 
dom  whose  pride  was  unbroken.  In  the  dimness  his 
first  impression  was  of  her  queenly  gentleness. 

"I  can  guess  why  you've  come." 

The  same  deep  voice  that  had  taunted  him  at 
Maisie's,  only  now  it  was  no  longer  taunting!  He 
noticed  the  way  she  offered  him  her  hand,  with  the 
arm  fully  extended  as  if  to  hold  him  away  from  her. 
She  was  a  smaller  wo/man  than  he  had  remembered; 
it  was  the  courage  of  her  bearing  that  had  made 


294      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

her  seem  taller.  He  could  not  see  her  face  dis 
tinctly  ;  it  was  in  shadow.  But,  when  she  turned,  he 
caught  the  whiteness  of  her  profile  on  the  dusk, 
clear-cut  and  tranquil  as  a  cameo.  After  having 
gazed  so  long  at  Sargent's  painting,  he  would  have 
recognized  anywhere  the  rounded  shapeliness  of  her 
head,  the  hair  swept  smoothly  back  from  the  calm 
forehead,  the  splendid  strength  of  her  throat  and 
the  delicate,  wholly  feminine  half -moon  of  her  shoul 
ders. 

"Won't  you  sit  over  here?  If  you  would  prefer 
it,  we  can  have  more  lamps.  But  they  would 
spoil "  She  indicated  the  vague  stretch  of  coun 
try,  across  which  mists  were  drifting  like  gray 
ghosts. 

He  drew  up  a  chair  at  an  angle  to  her  own,  so 
that  he  could  study  her.  "You  say  you  think  you 
know  why  I've  come?" 

"I  was  expecting  you,"  she  said  quietly.  He 
could  feel  rather  than  see  the  steady  kindness  that 
was  in  her  stone-gray  eyes. 

"If  you  were  expecting  me,  then  your  sister  must 
have " 

"My  sister  had  nothing  to  do  with  my  expecting. 
Can't  you  think  of  any  one  closer?" 

He  shook  his  head.  At  first  he  had  hoped  that 
Maisie  had  told  her  and  done  his  work  for  him. 
Evidently  it  wasn't  that.  She  was  attributing  some 
other  motive  to  his  visit.  It  was  a  motive  the 
disclosure  of  which  called  for  delicacy.  She  had  pre 
arranged  his  reception.  It  was  no  accident  that 
had  caused  him  to  find  her  alone  in  the  dimness  of 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  295 

the  gathering  evening.  The  scanty  lighting  of  the 
shadowy  room  had  been  stage-set  to  spare  them  both 
embarrassment.  "If  it  wasn't  your  sister —  He 

paused  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  proceed  further. 

Her  hands  came  together  gently  in  her  lap.  When 
she  spoke,  her  emotional  voice  had  a  new  tenderness. 
"Will  you  allow  me  to  help  you?  We're  not  such 
strangers  as  we  seem.  For  years  I've  been  inter 
ested  in  you.  I  was  always  hearing  of  your  adven 
tures  in  Mexico,  Korea,  the  Balkans  and  last  of  all 
at  the  Front.  You've  been  quite  a  romantic  figure 
in  my  life.  You've  always  seemed  so  strong;  and  I 
admire  strength  immensely.  I  never  dreamt  that  a 
time  would  ever  come  when  I  would  be  able  to  help 
you.  You're  in  love  and  she's  not  in  love  with  you. 
You're  older  than  she  is  and  it  makes  you  unhappy. 
She  has  time  to  experiment,  but  for  you  it's  differ 
ent;  your  love  is  bound  up  with  the  last  of  your 
youth.  Because  you've  been  unhappy,  you've  been 
unwise.  Your  foolishness  ended  yesterday  with  the 
return  of  Reggie  Pollock.  I  received  the  news  of 
his  return  this  morning.  So  you  came  down  here 
to  me,  which  was  perfectly  natural." 

He  shifted  his  gaze  and  stared  out  of  the  window, 
puzzled  and  troubled.  "Unfortunately  for  me,  Lady 
Dawn,  a  good  deal  of  what  you've  said  is  true.  But 
I  don't  see  how  it  makes  it  natural  that  I  should  have 
come  to  you.  I've  been  wanting  to  come  for  a  very 
long  time,  but  was  given  to  understand  that  what  I 
had  to  say  might  be  distasteful." 

"You  must  put  that  out  of  your  mind."  She  said 
it  comfortingly,  as  though  to  a  little  boy.  "There's 


296      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

nothing  distasteful  in  what  you  have  to  say.  It 
may  cause  awkwardness  with  Sir  Tobias ;  but  if  you 
can  assure  me  that  you're  really  in  earnest  over 
Terry,  I'll  be  quite  willing  to  risk  that  in  order  to 
become  your  ally." 

He  smiled  towards  her  through  the  darkness. 
"There's  nothing  I  should  like  better  than  to  reckon 
you  as  my  ally.  And  now  I  see  why  we've  been 
talking  at  cross-purposes.  You  think  that  I've  come 
to  wheedle  Terry's  address  out  of  }Tou.  Perhaps  I 
have,  since  you've  put  the  idea  into  my  head.  And 
with  regard  to  my  earnestness,  nothing  except  Terry 
in  the  whole  world  matters.  She's  romance,  self- 
fulfillment  and,  as  you've  said,  the  last  dream  of 
my  youth.  If  I  supposed  that  I  were  going  to  lose 
her,  I  would  rather  not  have —  But  I  didn't  come 
here  to  burden  you  with  my  troubles.  I  came  to  do 
something  for  you — something  which  I've  tried  to 
avoid  doing.  Something  which  has  forced  itself 
upon  me  and  followed  me  until —  It's  as  though 
I'd  been  compelled  by  a  personality  outside  myself. 
I  may  make  you  very  unhappy — 

She  leant  forward,  bringing  her  face  so  close  that 
he  could  feel  the  fanning  of  her  breath.  The  moon 
was  newly  risen ;  as  it  shone  on  the  mist,  low-lying  in 
the  meadows,  it  made  the  country-side  luminous  like 
a  vast  lake  of  milk  which  washed  about  the  trees 
and  submerged  the  hedges.  In  its  reflected  radiancy 
for  the  first  time  he  saw  her  features  clearly.  They 
startled  him,  leaping  together  out  of  the  white  blur 
that  they  had  been  into  something  more  lovely  than 
he  had  imagined.  He  had  never  seen  such  calmness. 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  29T 

And  the  calmness  was  not  alone  in  her  expression; 
the  same  sculptured  quiet  was  in  the  white  curve  of 
her  arms  and  the  gentle  swelling  of  her  breast.  He 
knew  now  why  she  was  declared  to  be  the  most  beau 
tiful  woman  in  England.  But  it  was  the  wisdom 
of  her  far  more  than  the  beauty  that  enthralled 
him.  There  was  no  weakness  that  her  sympathy 
could  not  encompass — nothing  that  he  need  be 
ashamed  to  tell  her.  Though  she  appeared  to  be 
about  the  same  age  as  himself,  by  reason  of  her 
experience  she  made  him  feel  younger.  No  woman 
who  had  attracted  him  before  had  been  able  to  make 
him  feel  that.  Already  he  was  filled  with  a  strange 
sense  of  gratitude. 

Very  simply  she  took  his  hand  and  folded  it  be 
tween  her  own. 

"You,  who  have  been  a  soldier,  were  a  little  afraid 
of  me.  Don't  be  afraid  of  me,  Lord  Taborley. 
Whatever  it  is  that  you've  come  to  do  for  me,  I 
shall  try  to  be  grateful.  As  for  making  me  unhappy, 
no  one — not  even  you — has  the  power  to  do  that." 

VIII 

He  looked  at  her  wonderingly.  "They  say  you 
never  cry." 

A  slow  smile  flitted  across  her  face  and  died  out. 
"You  want  the  truth?  You  yourself  tell  the 
truth —  When  they  say  that  I  never  cry,  they 
mean  that  I  never  let  them  see  me." 

He  laughed  softly.  "I  thought  it  was  that:  you 
cry  in  secret  like  a  man.  Not  to  cry  at  all  would  be 


298      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

monstrous ;  it  was  that  which  made  me  afraid  of  you. 
A  man  doesn't  like  a  woman  to  be  stronger  than 
himself.  It  was  about  a  man  who  didn't  like  a 
woman  to  be  stronger  than  himself  that  I  came  to 
talk  to  you." 

She  had  guessed.  Through  her  hands  he  could 
feel  the  commotion  of  her  life  struggle  and  die  down 
till  it  grew  almost  silent.  The  stillness  of  the  room 
seemed  a  backwater  of  the  intenser  stillness  of  the 
night  without. 

Her  lips  scarcely  moved.    "And  the  man?" 

"Your  husband." 

"But  he's  dead." 

"I  know." 

He  waited  for  her  to  flame  up  at  the  indelicacy  of 
his  intrusion.  He  almost  hoped  she  would.  When 
she  sat  motionless  as  a  statue,  he  continued  apolo 
getically.  "Fm  trespassing  on  things  sacred.  Be 
cause  of  that  I've  fought  to  avoid  this  meeting, 
knowing  all  the  time  that  it  was  inevitable.  I've 
tried  to  persuade  myself  that  it  would  be  kinder  to 
leave  you  in  ignorance — 

"Of  what?"  She  strove  to  subdue  her  apprehen 
sion.  Her  profile  showed  pale  and  expressionless, 
as  if  chiseled  in  the  solid  wall  of  darkness. 

"In  ignorance  of  his  grandeur." 

He  had  said  the  thing  most  remote  from  what 
she  had  expected.  He  was  aware  of  her  relieved  sus 
pense — at  the  same  time  of  her  gentle  skepticism. 
He  felt  irritated  with  himself  at  his  choice  of  words. 
Grandeur  did  not  express  the  meaning  he  had  in 
tended.  When  he  made  a  new  start,  he  stumbled  his 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  299 

way  gropingly,  confused  by  his  consciousness  of  her 
unuttered  doubts. 

"Why  I  have  to  tell  you  this  I  can  hardly  say. 
It's  not  for  his  sake.  It's  certainly  not  for  mine. 
It's  for  yours,  I  fancy.  Yes,  I'm  sure.  By 
doing  him  justice  I  shall  be  able  to  help  you,  though 
I  have  no  reason  for  supposing  that  you  stand  in 
need  of  help.  It's  to  do  him  justice  that  he's 
been  urging  me.  Yet  why  should  he  have  selected 
me  to  be  his  spokesman?  I  wasn't  his  friend.  I 
never  met  him  till  I  reached  the  Front;  out  there  I 
really  never  knew  him.  No  one  did.  He  was  like  a 
sleep-walker — a  very  silent  man.  You'll  be  wonder 
ing  why,  if  this  was  the  case,  I  should  be  so  imperti 
nent  as  to  mention  his  name  to  you — to  you  of  all 
persons,  who  can  claim  to  have  known  him  infinitely 
more  intimately  than  any  one  else.  And  you'll  be 
wondering  why,  after  two  months  of  procrastinat 
ing,  I  motored  through  the  night  from  London  to 
force  my  way  into  your  privacy,  without  forewarn 
ing  or  introduction.  If  I'm  going  to  be  honest,  I 
must  run  the  risk  of  appearing  absurd.  I  could 
resist  him  no  longer.  He  coerced  me  with  ill-luck. 
Ever  since  I  entered  your  sister's  house  and  dis 
covered  who  you  were,  he's  been  urging " 

"Who  I  was!"  Her  head  turned  slowly.  It  was 
her  first  intense  display  of  interest. 

"I  mean  your  relation  to  him — that  it  was  you 
who  were  his  wife.  At  the  Front  I  didn't  know  that 
he  was  Lord  Dawn ;  he'd  blotted  out  his  identity.  He 
was  merely  gun-fodder  like  the  rest  of  us — something 
to  be  sent  over  the  top  to  be  smashed  and  then  to  be 


300      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

left  to  sink  into  the  mud  or  else  hurried  back  to  be 
patched  up  in  hospital.  He  was  a  company-com 
mander  in  my  battalion.  I  knew  nothing  of  his  past. 
My  acquaintance  with  him  began  and  ended  in  the 
trenches.  I  don't  know  much  now — only  what 
Maisie's  told  me."  He  had  been  speaking  with  grow 
ing  earnestness.  Suddenly  he  flashed  into  indignant 
vehemence.  "What  Maisie's  told  me !  It's  false  of 
the  man  as  he  was  out  there.  He  wants  you  to  be 
lieve  that.  Out  there  he  was  different.  He  may  have 
been  paltry  and  base  once;  but  he  was  reborn  into 
a  new  nobility.  He  was  white  all  through.  He  was 
overpoweringly  heroic.  From  the  humblest  Tommy 
we  all  adored  him — adored  him  for  the  example  he 
set  us.  He  was  only  cheerful  when  there  was  dying 
to  be  done — out  at  rest  and  in  quiet  sectors  he  was 
gloomy.  The  men  loved  him  for  that;  it  struck 
them  as  humorous.  And  yet  he  was  utterly  indiffer 
ent  to  their  love.  He'd  got  beyond  caring  for  what 
anybody  thought  of  him.  He  was  too  absorbed  in 
establishing  reasons  for  thinking  well  of  himself.  I 
learnt  things  about  him — one  does  in  the  presence 
of  physical  torture.  I  learnt  secrets  about  the 
fineness  of  his  spirit  which,  I  believe,  he  never  allowed 
you  to  suspect.  Probably  he  never  suspected  them 
himself  until  the  ordeal  of  terror  had  sifted  the  gold 
from  the  dross.  It  was  the  dross  that  Maisie  re 
membered.  But  we,  who  were  his  comrades  in  khaki, 
saw  nothing  but  the  gold — his  untiring  ability  to 
share.  You  weren't  there;  nevertheless,  that's  what 
Fve  got  to  help  you  to  understand.  I've  got  to  make 
vou  see  the  new  Lord  Dawn  who  was  born  out  there. 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  301 

It  was  last  night,  after  Pollock  returned,  that  I  saw 
my  duty  clearly.  It  came  on  me  in  a  flash  that,  if  a 
man  who  had  been  counted  dead  could  come  back, 
it  was  not  impossible  that  this  pleading  from  beyond 
the  grave,  which  I'd  tried  to  thwart  and  ridicule — 

He  broke  off  abruptly.  It  was  the  wideness  of 
her  eyes  that  warned  him.  He  was  conscious  that 
she,  too,  was  feeling  that  invisible  pressure.  She 
was  expecting  to  see  something.  He  followed  the 
direction  of  her  eyes,  glancing  behind  him  into  the 
hollow  dimness  of  the  room,  where  the  solitary  lamp 
was  burning  and  the  vanished  lords  of  Dawn  gazed 
stonily  down  from  their  canvases.  In  that  moment, 
he  was  aware  that  he  had  been  stating  facts  as  he 
had  never  owned  them  to  himself.  It  was  as  though 
his  lips  had  been  used — 

"Things  that  he  didn't  allow  me  to  suspect!" 
She  sighed  shudderingly.  "He  allowed  me  to  suspect 
so  much.  But  tell  me.  What  were  these  things? 
Since  they're  the  reasons  for  your  visit,  they  must  be 
important." 

"They're  only  part  of  the  reasons." 

"There  are  others?" 

"The  chief  reason  is  yourself."  He  spoke  cau 
tiously,  fearful  lest  he  might  lose  her  attention  by 
rousing  her  incredulity.  Even  to  himself  it  sounded 
preposterous  that  he,  an  outsider,  should  claim  to 
bear  so  intimate  a  message  from  a  husband  who  was 
dead.  "You  believed,  Lady  Dawn,  that  you  had 
ceased  to  count  in  your  husband's  affections;  yet 
wherever  his  battalion  went,  you  were  present  with 
us.  The  men  and  officers  knew  you,  without  know- 


302      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ing  who  you  were.  You  were  with  us  in  the  mud  of 
the  Somme;  you  went  over  the  top  with  us  in  our 
attacks.  More  than  one  young  officer  believed  him 
self  in  love  with  you.  Yours  was  the  last  woman's 
face  that  many  a  poor  fellow  looked  upon  before 
he  went  West.  We  were  an  emotional  lot.  Death 
made  us  natural  as  children.  Women  meant  more  to 
us  than  they  ever  had  before  and  than  they  ever  will 
again,  perhaps.  The  nearness  to  eternity  purged  us 
of  impurity.  It  fired  us  with  a  wistful  kind  of 
chivalry.  The  change  is  hard  to  express.  I've 
known  men,  who  hadn't  a  wife  or  sweetheart,  cut 
strange  women's  portraits  from  the  illustrated  pa 
pers  and  treasure  them.  As  we  sit  here  it  sounds 
a  waste  of  sentiment ;  out  there  it  seemed  tragically 
pathetic.  Every  man  wanted  to  believe,  even  though 
his  believing  was  a  conscious  pretense,  that  there  was 

one  woman  peculiarly  his,  who  would  miss " 

He  interrupted  himself  to  glance  again  across  his 
shoulder,  following  her  eyes  where  they  probed  the 
stealthy  shadows.  Then  he  brought  his  gaze  back. 
"That  was  how  I  first  learnt  to  know  your  face — 
from  the  portrait  which  your  husband  carried.  Into 
whatever  danger  he  was  ordered,  you  went — you 
accompanied  him  in  the  most  real  sense:  he  carried 
you  in  his  heart.  From  time  to  time  I  got  glimpses 
of  you.  When  he  thought  no  one  was  looking,  he 
would  prop  your  portrait  against  the  walls  of  dug 
outs  with  a  candle  lighted  before  it,  as  if  you  were 
a  saint  whom  he  worshiped.  You  were  the  inspira 
tion  of  his  steadfastness  to  duty.  What  he  did, 
he  did  for  you.  His  courage  was  your  cour- 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  303 

age ;  his  kindness  was  your  kindness.  He  was  striv 
ing  every  minute  to  be  worthy  of  you.  I  know  of 
what  I'm  talking,  for  I  did  the  same  for  Terry. 
Late  at  night  one  would  stumble  down  greasy  dug 
out  stairs,  coming  in  from  a  patrol,  to  find  him  lost 
in  thought  and  gazing  at  you.  Or  one  would  find 
him  covering  page  after  page  of  letters  which  he 
never  sent.  When  he  was  dying,  alone  and  far 
out  in  No  Man's  Land,  he  must  have  drawn  out  your 
portrait  from  next  his  heart.  It  was  so  tightly 
clasped  in  his  hand  when  we  found  him,  that  we 
couldn't  take  it  from  him.  I'd  almost  forgotten  all 
this  until  two  months  ago,  when  I  recognized  Sar 
gent's  painting  of  you  in  your  sister's  house.  Then 
for  the  first  time  I  discovered  your  name  and  who 
he  was.  Since  then  he's  given  me  no  rest." 

She  had  been  leaning  forward,  her  arm  supported 
on  her  knee,  her  chin  cushioned  in  her  hand,  the 
white  light  from  the  mist-covered  meadows  falling 
softly  on  her  through  the  tall  window,  revealing  the 
pulse  beating  in  her  throat  and  the  trembling  of  her 
thin  sweet  mouth. 

"What  was  it  that  he  wanted  you  to  do  for  me, 
Lord  Taborley?" 

He  hesitated,  clasping  his  forehead,  like  a  man 
whose  memory  had  suddenly  gone  blank.  "I'm  not 
sure.  And  yet  I  was  sure  before  I  started  talking. 
Didn't  you  believe  that  he  died  hating  you?" 

She  shook  her  head.     "He  left  a  child  by  me." 

"Then,  perhaps  it  wasn't  that  he  hadn't  hated 
you,  but  that  he'd  loved  you  in  his  last  moments. 
Was  it  that  which  he  wanted  me  to  tell  you?" 


304      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

Again,  with  a  gesture,  she  negatived  his  sugges 
tion.  "He'd  never  have  doubted  that  I  would  know 
he  had  died  loving  me." 

"Then  why  did  he  send  me?" 

Even  while  he  asked  it,  he  marveled  at  his  certainty 
that  she  shared  his  conviction  that  he  had  been  sent. 

She  turned  her  eyes  full  on  his  face  and  let  them 
dwell  there  searchingly.  As  he  returned  her  gaze,  he 
noted  that  she  was  less  young  than  he  had  supposed. 
She  was  older  than  her  portrait.  Her  hair,  which 
had  looked  night-black  in  the  shadows,  was  prema 
turely  frosted.  The  moonlight,  strengthening, 
picked  out  remorselessly  each  silver  thread.  She  was 
no  longer  capable  of  putting  back  the  hands  of  time 
for  any  man. 

She  had  read  his  thoughts.  The  pride  went  out 
of  her  voice.  "Perhaps  he  sent  you,"  she  faltered, 
"that  he  might  give  me  back  a  little  of  what  he 
took." 

"What  did  he  take?    Anything  that  I  have " 

She  leant  back  in  her  chair.  Her  face  was  again 
in  shadow.  "My  youth.  My  happiness." 

In  the  silence  which  followed  he  was  aware  that 
the  third  presence  had  departed. 

IX 

"Your  youth !  Your  happiness !"  He  was  as 
tounded.  "Strange  that  you  should  say  that !  I 
thought  that  I  alone  was  searching." 

"Let  me  talk,"  she  begged.  "I  want  to  spealc 
about  myself.  Not  for  my  own  sake,  but  for  yours. 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  305 

To  men  like  you  who  have  lived  at  the  Front,  life 
has  become  a  terribly  earnest  affair.  You're  like  im 
patient  children ;  what  you  want  you  want  quickly. 
You  seem  to  be  afraid  to  postpone  anything  lest 
death  should  carry  you  off  before  your  desire  has 
been  granted.  But  you're  not  really  different  from 
women  like  myself.  Crises  come  to  all  of  us,  when 
life  grows  desperate — when  to  be  alone  becomes  in 
tolerable  :  when  everything,  even  one's  pleasures,  be 
comes  a  burden,  because  they  are  unshared.  Such 
a  crisis  would  have  come  to  you  sooner  or  later  in 
any  event.  It  comes  to  every  unmarried  man  and 
woman.  The  war  only  happened  to  be  the  means 
of  bringing  home  to  you  your  loneliness.  When  it 
broke,  you  didn't  have  time  to  choose;  you  seized  on 
Terry,  because  she  was  young  and  pretty  and  sus 
ceptible.  You  were  terrified  by  the  calamity  of  be 
ing  blotted  out  before  you  had  known  love.  You 
forgot  that  there's  a  worse  calamity — and  that's 
being  compelled  to  live  forever  with  a  person  for 
whom  you  have  ceased  to  care.  A  man  like  yourself 
can  have  any  woman  he  likes,  only  any  woman 
wouldn't  suit.  She  would  have  to  be  unusual — of  a 
high  type  like  yourself.  Such  women  are  rare.  The 
thought  of  Terry  attracts  you  because  a  marriage 
with  her  would  seem  to  halve  your  years.  But  why 
should  you  want  to  halve  your  years  ?  To  have  lived 
ought  to  mean  that  you  have  gained  experience, 
which  is  the  most  dearly  purchased  form  of  knowl 
edge.  Why  should  you  be  ashamed  of  it  and  so 
anxious  to  be  rid  of  it?  You  purchased  your  ex 
perience  with  blood.  It's  the  most  valuable  of  all 


306      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

your  possessions.  And  if  you  were  to  marry  Terry, 
what  could  she  contribute?  A  pretty  face,  an  un 
broken  body  and  all  the  intolerance  of  her  youth.  A 
pretty  face  doesn't  go  far  in  matrimony.  Husbands 
soon  get  used  to  mere  prettiness  and  learn  to  look 
behind  it  for  character.  A  wife,  in  order  to  be  your 
friend,  would  have  to  be  your  equal  in  her  under 
standing  of  suffering.  How  much  suffering  has  a 
girl  like  Terry  had?" 

He  wasn't  angry.  He  wasn't  even  offended.  What 
she  had  been  saying  had  so  clarified  his  thoughts 
that  it  had  been  as  if  he  had  been  thinking  aloud. 
Her  voice  was  a  dark  mirror,  glancing  into  which 
he  had  recognized  himself.  His  self-knowledge  car 
ried  him  far  beyond  any  arguments  of  hers.  He 
sat  perfectly  still  with  a  face  of  iron,  gazing 
straight  before  him. 

What  he  had  mistaken  for  chivalry  and  romance 
had  been  nothing  but  foolishness.  He  had  been 
enacting  the  unwisdom  of  an  infatuated  boy  with 
the  solemnity  of  a  mature  man.  His  clamor  had 
been  unprofitable,  undignified,  absurd — on  a  level 
with  the  amorous  hysterics  of  Grand  Opera,  save 
that  it  had  lacked  the  redeeming  storm  of  contend 
ing  music.  The  utter  futility  of  so  much  wasted 
feeling  bordered  on  tragedy;  the  need  which  it  had 
expressed  had  been  so  primitive,  so  distressingly 
sincere.  He  was  confronted  with  the  necessity  of 
confessing  that  his  passion  for  Terry  was  at  an  end. 

When  had  it  died  ?  Perhaps  only  since  he  had  en 
tered  this  quiet  room,  with  its  moonlit  landscape, 
its  lowered  lights  and  its  wise  mistress,  sitting  so 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  307 

gravely  alone  with  her  patient  beauty  and  her  gently 
folded  hands.  But  even  before  he  had  entered,  it 
must  have  been  dying.  For  weeks  he  had  been  flog 
ging  it,  like  an  over-tired  horse,  into  a  feeble  display 
of  energy.  More  than  anything,  his  conduct  with 
Maisie  proved  that. 

Maisie's  excuse  for  the  error  of  her  many  mar 
riages  recurred  to  him — that  Gervis  and  Lockwood 
had  hung  up  their  hats  in  her  hall.  Frivolous,  yes ! 
But  had  he  been  less  frivolous  in  his  treatment  of 
Terry?  He  had  felt  the  compulsion  to  concentrate 
his  craving  to  love  and  be  loved  on  some  special 
woman !  Terry  had  been  handiest,  so  he'd  hung  his 
idolatry  on  her. 

But  to  acknowledge  this  implied  a  fickleness  of 
temperament  that  was  disastrous  to  his  self-respect. 
It  deflated  him  to  the  proportions  of  an  Adair.  It 
toppled  his  lofty  standards  in  the  dust.  It  changed 
him  from  a  loyalist,  making  a  fanatical  last  stand, 
into  a  haggard  runaway. 

His  pride  leapt  up  in  his  defense.  Turning  to 
Lady  Dawn,  with  grim  despair  he  muttered,  "But  I 
want  her.  I  can't  do  without  her.  I  want  no  one 
else." 


Her  voice  reached  him  out  of  the  darkness.  "To 
own  that  we've  been  mistaken  takes  more  courage 
than  to  persist  in  the  wrong  direction.  'I  want  no 
one  else !'  We've  all  said  that.  It  was  through  say 
ing  it  that  I  brought  about  my  shipwreck.  But  if 
you're  sure  that  you  want  no  one  else,  you  must 


308      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

have  her.  If  there's  any  way  of  getting  her  for  you, 
I'll  do  my  best  to  help." 

She  made  an  effort  to  rise.  She  stood  before 
him  swaying,  a  blinded  look  on  her  face,  her  eyes 
closed,  her  hands  stretched  out.  He  placed  his  arm 
about  her.  Her  weight  sagged  against  him. 

"Not  the  servants,"  she  whispered.  "You  and  I. 
Give  me  air." 

With  his  free  hand  he  jerked  the  catch  and  pushed 
the  window  wide.  The  cool  dampness  of  the  night 
streamed  in  on  her.  He  stood  there  with  her  clasped 
against  him,  her  head  stretched  back,  her  body 
drooping.  In  the  bowl  of  darkness  at  the  foot  of  the 
turret,  the  rose-garden  floated.  Out  of  sight,  in  the 
green-scummed  moat,  a  fish  leapt  with  a  sullen 
splash.  A  bird  called.  Wheels  rumbled  on  a  dis 
tant  road.  Again  the  silence  was  unbroken.  The 
moonlight,  falling  on  her  face,  gave  to  it  an  expres 
sion  of  childishness.  Her  breast  and  throat,  gleam 
ing  white  as  marble,  reminded  him  she  was  a  woman. 

She  stirred.  Her  eyes  opened.  She  gazed  up  at 
him  wonderingly.  "I'm  better.  Foolish  of  me!" 
Then,  inconsequently,  "How  tall  you  are,  Lord 
Taborley!" 

He  supported  her  till  she  could  lean  across  the 
sill.  They  leant  there  together,  their  faces  nearly 
touching.  His  arm  was  still  about  her;  she  did 
not  seem  to  notice  it.  He  was  dumb  with  tremulous 
expectancy. 

"It  was  about  myself  that  I  had  to  tell  you,"  she 
whispered.  "I  was  once  like  you.  I  wanted  no  one 
else.  I  knew,  even  while  I  wanted  him,  that  he  could 


SOME  PEOPLE  FIND  THEIR  KINGDOMS  309 

never  make  me  happy.  Even  when  I  was  most  in 
love  with  him,  he  had  qualities  which  I  distrusted. 
After  marriage  the  distrusting  grew.  Yet  all  the 
while  I  was  sorry  for  him.  I  would  have  given  any 
thing  to  undo His  sins  were  mine.  With 

another  woman,  less  virtuous,  he  might  have  been 
good.  In  his  yearning  he  tried  to  drag  me  down. 
I  couldn't  go,  not  even  if  going  would  have  saved 
him.  There  was  something  in  me,  not  exactly  pride, 
that  prevented.  I  have  never  spoken  of  this  to 
anybody.  I'm  saying  it  to  you  because — 

She  broke  off.  Why  was  she  saying  it?  The  per 
fume  of  June  roses  under  moonlight,  mingling  with 
the  fragrance  of  her  hair,  was  intoxicating.  His 
arm  about  her  tightened.  Was  she  only  allowing 
him  to  hold  her  out  of  pity  because  of  his  confes 
sion  ? 

"Because,"  she  said,  "I  think  before  she  knows  of 
your  visit  it  would  be  better  that  you  should  go." 

He  failed  to  grasp  her  logic.  "But  if  I  stay,  she 
will  never  know." 

She  released  herself  gently  and  gazed  at  him  re 
proachfully.  "Never  know !  But  you  came  in  order 
that  she  might  know." 

He  was  more  than  ever  puzzled.  He  had  come  to 
tell  her  of  her  husband.  Did  she  not  believe  him? 
She  seemed  to  be  accusing  him.  He  remembered 
how  she  had  claimed,  when  he  had  entered,  that  she 
could  guess  what  had  brought  him.  "I  came  solely 
to  see  you,"  he  said,  speaking  slowly.  "I  was  com 
pelled,  as  I've  told  you.  I  give  you  my  word  of 


310      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

honor  that  my  visit  wasn't  even  remotely   related 

to " 

A  sharply  indrawn  breath  cut  short  what  he  was 
saying.  They  turned  quickly,  moving  instinctively 
apart.  Gazing  in  from  the  open  door,  across  the 
pool  of  lamplight,  was  Terry. 


CHAPTER  THE  EIGHTH 


ROUXD    THE    CORNER 


LADY  DAWN  was  the  first  to  recover  her  com 
posure.  "Why,  Terry,  I  thought  you  were  in 
bed!" 

"I  was." 

Terry's  eyes  shifted  froTn  Lady  Dawn  to  Tabs. 
They  were  startled  and  misty  with  sleep.  She  seemed 
only  half-awake.  Her  hand  rested  on  the  door  as  if 
ready  for  retreat.  Her  square  little  face  was 
flushed;  her  gold,  bobbed  hair  was  flattened  where 
it  had  pressed  against  the  pillow.  She  was  clad  in 
a  filmy  negligee;  her  bare  feet  had  been  pushed 
hastily  into  slippers  and  peeped  out  rosily  from  be 
neath  the  hem.  She  looked  immature — the  way  she 
had  in  days  gone  by  when  he  had  tiptoed  to  her 
bedside  through  the  darkness  to  feel  her  tight  little 
arms  leap  stranglingly  about  his  neck.  She  had 
been  really  a  tiny  girl  then.  Why  couldn't  she  have 
stayed  like  that  always  ?  Why  need  she  have  roused 
in  him  this  torturing  desire  which  she  did  nothing 
but  rebuff? 

"I  was  asleep.    I  heard  voices.     I  thought n 

What  had  she  thought?  How  much  had  she  seen 
311 


312      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

and  heard?     How  long  had  she  been  standing  there? 

Tabs  attempted  to  bridge  the  awkward  silence, 
"I  drove  down  from  London."  Then  he  added, 
"That  was  last  night." 

None  of  them  had  stirred.  Lady  Dawn  advanced 
from  the  window  into  the  pool  of  lamplight.  "I 
think  I  know  what  you  thought— that  something 
was  wrong.  It  was.  I  nearly  fainted.  If  it  hadn't 
been  for  Lord  Taborley —  But  come  inside. 

Why  do  you  remain  standing  there?" 

Terry  stepped  just  across  the  threshold.  Having 
closed  the  door,  she  leant  against  it,  still  holding 
the  knob  in  her  hand.  It  was  plain  that  she  was 
making  an  effort  to  be  valiant.  She  looked  fragile  as 
a  peeled  white  wand ;  like  a  flower,  shy  and  dew-wet. 
Life  had  not  yet  commenced  to  break  her.  The 
clinging  folds  of  her  wrap  emphasized  her  slender- 
ness,  the  grace  of  her  lines  and  the  girlish  contours 
of  her  figure. 

Lady  Dawn  went  to  her  and  put  her  arm  about 
her.  "You're  afraid.  Of  what  are  you  afraid? 
Surely  not  of  Lord  Taborley?  He's  been  telling 

me To  be  loved  like  that There  was  a 

time  when  I  would  have  been  proud." 

Terry's  left  hand  went  up  to  her  breast.  Her 
wild  violet  eyes  looked  straight  before  her,  seeking 
always  the  face  of  Tabs.  They  seemed  to  call  to  him. 
He  came  slowly  to  the  table  where  she  could  see 
him.  It  was  his  chance.  Lady  Dawn  was  his  advo 
cate.  It  was  the  chance  for  which  he  had  waited. 

He  was  contrasting  the  two  women  before  him ; 
the  one  in  her  dainty,  enviable  promise  and  the  dumb 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  313 

hostility  of  her  youth;  the  other  in  the  gentleness 
of  her  experience  and  the  charity  of  her  dearly  pur 
chased  understanding.  Terry,  whom  he  had  loved 
since  she  was  a  child,  had  become  inscrutable.  But 

Lady  Dawn Was  it  her  suffering  that  made 

him  know  her  as  he  knew  himself? 

"I  hadn't  meant  to  intrude  on  you,'*  he  apolo 
gized.  "I  hadn't  the  least  idea  you  were  here.  How 
should  I  have  had?  You  disappeared  without  warn 
ing;  at  your  father's  house  your  address  was  re 
fused  me.  Lady  Dawn  will  bear  me  out  that,  at  the 
very  moment  you  entered,  I  was  assuring  her  that 
my  visit  had  nothing  to  do  with  you.  Probably  you 
heard." 

"Nothing  to  do  with  me !"  There  was  relief  in 
her  way  of  saying  it.  She  visibly  relaxed.  "Then 
it  isn't  because  of  me  at  all  that  you're  here?" 

The  suppressed  eagerness  of  her  question  was 
wounding.  She  wanted  to  hear  him  state  more  posi 
tively  that  she  had  had  nothing  to  do  with  his  visit. 
Whatever  she  had  seen  before  they  had  become  aware 
of  her,  had  had  no  power  to  rouse  her  jealousy. 
She  could  have  given  him  no  stronger  proof  of  how 
absolutely  he  had  ceased  to  count.  He  smiled  bit 
terly.  "Not  because  of  you  at  all,  Terry.  The 
reason  for  my  being  here  is  strictly  private  between 
Lady  Dawn  and  m}7self.  I  didn't  come  to  worry 
you.  You  may  set  your  mind  at  rest." 

"Then  you  didn't  know  or  even  suspect " 

He  laughed  unhappily.  "What  more  can  I  say  to 
convince  you?  I  haven't  the  least  idea  what  you 
suppose  I  could  suspect.  What  business  is  it  of  mine 


314      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

to  suspect  anything?  And  if  I  did,  what  license 
should  I  have  to  interfere?  We're  not  as  we  once 
were.  There  are  no  longer  any  sentimental  obliga 
tions  that  would  hold  us  accountable  to  each  other. 
You've  shown  me  that  you  consider  our  relation 
ended.  In  the  face  of  that,  I  should  scarcely  follow 
you  into  the  country  where,  by  all  accounts,  you've 
come  to  escape  me.  It's  purely  a  coincidence  that 
you  find  me  here." 

He  caught  Lady  Dawn's  eyes  resting  on  him. 
They  were  wide  and  clear  and  interrogating.  He 
knew  what  she  was  remembering:  that  it  was  in  this 
room  within  the  hour  that  he  had  said,  "But  I  want 
her.  I  can't  do  without  her.  I  want  no  one  else." 
Self-ridicule  tempered  his  spirit  into  sharpness.  He 
turned  again  to  Terry. 

"Once  and  for  all  I  should  like  to  set  your  doubts 
at  rest.  You  need  have  no  fear  that  I  shall  ever 
inconvenience  you.  We're  bound  to  meet  from  time 
to  time,  but  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  I  shall  never 
refer  to  the  past.  You're  of  an  age  to  make  de 
cisions  for  yourself;  you've  decided  against  me. 
You're  acting  quite  within  your  privilege  when  you 
discard  old  friends.  You'll  wonder  why  I  state 
obvious  facts.  I'm  doing  so  in  order  that  you  may 
feel  certain  that  I've  withdrawn  whatever  claims  I 
had  for  influencing  your  movements.  I  shall  always 
be  interested But  as  for  presuming  that  any 
thing  that  I  might  say  or  do  would  make  the  least 
difference  to  your  plans,  I  shouldn't  be  so  fool 
ish " 

Breaking   away    from   Lady   Dawn,    she   crossed 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  315 

over  to  him.  Resting  her  hand  on  his  arm,  she  sank 
her  voice  and  commenced  speaking  so  hurriedly  that 
he  alone  could  make  out  what  she  said. 

"I've  been  false  and  foolish.  I  don't  need  you  to 
tell  me.  If  you  knew  how  miserable  I've  been  and 

how  I've  despised  myself But  I  can't  help  it. 

I  go  on  doing  things.  I  never  used  to  be  a  beast — 
least  of  all  to  you;  never  until  you  wanted  me  to 
marry  you.  If  I  can  act  like  this  now,  what  sort  of 
a  wife —  Can't  you  understand?  I'm  trying  to 
spare  you.  But  I  won't  have  you  hate  me,  Tabs. 
I  can't  endure  that.  Every  second  that  I've  kept 
away  from  you,  I've  been  wanting — not  the  you  that 
you  are  now,  but  the  old  you.  Won't  you  start 
afresh,  liking  me  the  way  you  did  when — before  this 
happened?"  She  seized  his  hand  on  the  impulse  and 
pressed  it  to  her  lips.  It  was  the  humble  act  of  a 
small  girl.  "Love  me  just  a  little.  I'm  not  really 
bad.  Please,  please  forgive  me  my  wickedness,  dear 
Tabs." 

He  stood  dumbfounded  and  embarrassed.  If  they 
had  been  alone,  he  would  have  known  what  to  do. 
He  was  at  a  loss  to  find  a  motive  for  this  display 
of  passion.  Was  it  a  ruse  to  get  him  back?  He 
crushed  the  suspicion  as  unworthy.  Then  was  it 
what  she  had  seen  that  had  made  her  possessive? 
Her  tears  fell  scalding  on  his  hands. 

He  drew  her  to  him.  "There,  there,  little  Terry ! 
You  mustn't.  There's  nothing  to  cry  about. 
There's  nothing  wicked  in  not  having  loved  a  man. 
It's  a  thing  that  can't  be  helped." 

At  the  sign  of  his  relenting,  she  threw  away  the 


316      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

last  of  her  control.  Burying  her  face  against  his 
coat,  she  clung  to  him.  All  that  he  could  see  of  her 
was  her  golden  head  and  her  slight  body,  quivering 
with  sobbing.  Pier  voice  reached  him  muffled.  "But 
I  am  wicked.  I've  pushed  you  from  me.  If  you 
knew If  you  did,  you  wouldn't  touch  me." 

There  had  been  no  sound,  yet  something  warned 
him.  He  looked  up.  The  door  was  closing. 

"Lady  Dawn,"  he  called.  In  his  voice  there  was 
the  tremor  of  anxiety. 

On  the  point  of  vanishing,  she  glanced  back 
across  her  shoulder.  "What  is  it,  Lord  Taborley?" 

The  calmness  of  her  austerity  made  emotion  seem 
shallow.  There  was  a  touch  of  scorn  in  her  repose. 

"Won't  you  help?" 

She  smiled  faintly.     "I  was.     I  was  going." 

"Then  please  don't.  It's  late.  Both  you  and 
she  must  be  worn  out." 

Like  a  figure  of  silver,  she  came  coldly  back.  But 
there  was  only  tenderness  in  her  voice  when  she 
spoke.  "Terry,  did  you  hear  what  Lord  Taborley 
said?  He  thinks  he  ought  to  be  going." 

Slipping  her  arm  about  the  girl,  she  led  her  from 
him.  Their  footsteps  died  out  on  the  turret  stairs. 

He  waited,  hoping  that  Lady  Dawn  would  return. 
Now  that  she  was  gone,  he  was  invaded  with  his  old 
loneliness.  The  dead  lords  eyed  him  cynically  from 
their  canvases.  Through  leaded  panes  the  moon 
light  fell.  It  seemed  the  sorcery  of  her  spirit.  The 
perfume  of  the  rose-garden  was  her  breath.  How 
pale  she  had  made  his  dream  of  Terry !  How  trivial 
she  made  all  women  look  when  she  stood  beside  them ! 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  317 

There  was  nothing  in  tliis  gift  of  youth  for  which 
he  had  clamored.  Terry's  youth,  had  he  married 
her,  would  have  been  his  scourge.  He  knew  at  last 
what  it  was  that  he  required  at  the  hands  of  a 
woman — it  was  rest. 

There  was  no  sound.  The  Castle  was  intensely 
still.  He  lowered  the  wick  of  the  lamp  before  he 
left,  watched  the  flame  splutter  and  waited  till  it 
sank.  Tiptoeing  softly  down  the  stairs,  he  slipped 
out  noiselessly  into  the  romance  of  the  summer's 
night. 

II 

Next  morning,  for  the  first  few  seconds  after  he 
had  wakened,  he  lay  wondering  why  he  was  so  happy. 
Then  he  remembered. 

He  had  never  had  a  friendship  with  a  woman. 
From  the  start,  though  he  had  hidden  the  fact  from 
himself,  his  supposed  friendship  with  Maisie  had 
been  nothing  less  than  lazy  courtship.  Terry  had 
detected  that  when  she  had  said  that  he  wouldn't 
have  been  so  interested  in  Maisie  if  she  hadn't  been 
so  desperately  good-looking.  Until  this  morning  he 
had  had  no  faith  in  such  friendships.  He  had  be 
lieved  that  their  fundamental  attraction,  however 
well  concealed,  must  always  be  sex.  They  could 
never  be  more  than  a  pretense,  in  which  either  the 
man  or  the  woman  was  cheating — the  one  being 
anxious  to  give  more  than  friendship,  the  other  de 
riving  amusement  from  giving  less.  He  had  held 
that  such  relations  between  men  and  women  were 
inherently  dishonest,  doomed  to  end  in  a  clash  of 


desire  or  to  broaden  into  an  honorable  love  affair. 
There  was  no  middle  course  between  coveting  a 
woman  and  neglecting  her  as  entirely  dispensable. 

But  this  morning  his  point  of  view  was  altered. 
He  was  confident  that  his  interest  in  Lady  Dawn 
was  on  an  utterly  different  footing.  He  had  never 
had  this  peacefulness  of  feeling  for  any  woman.  He 
marveled  at  it.  He  had  to  fight  the  disillusion  that 
it  might  be  no  more  than  a  mood.  His  liking  for 
her  had  come  to  him  so  suddenly.  Suddenness  in 
the  emotions  prompted  him  to  distrust.  Yet  his 
present  contentment  seemed  as  secure  as  it  was  in 
comprehensible.  His  new  affection  compensated  him 
for  all  previous  failures  and  atoned  for  the  humilia 
tion  of  every  past  regret. 

At  that  word  "affection"  he  halted  himself.  Was 
it  affection  that  he  entertained  for  Lady  Dawn? 
He  took  a  good  look  at  the  suspected  word  and  de 
cided  that  it  was.  But  it  was  the  affection  of  rev 
erence.  In  owning  this  much  he  qualified  his  admis 
sion  by  insisting  that  his  affection  was  totally  devoid 
of  passion.  Passion  in  the  presence  of  Lady  Dawn 
looked  hysteric  and  paltry.  She  inspired  a  serenity 
which  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  physical.  It  was 
the  charm  of  her  character  that  entranced  him.  Her 
body  scarcely  figured  in  his  thoughts ;  when  it  did, 
it  failed  to  stir  him.  It  was  no  more  than  the 
gracious  vehicle  through  which  the  beauty  of  her 
spirit  was  expressed. 

His  paramount  emotion  was  gratitude — gratitude 
that  she,  who  was  reputed  to  be  so  cold,  should  so 
instantly  have  unveiled  herself.  There  was  a  star- 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  319 

tling  purity  in  the  frankness  with  which  she  had 
bared  her  spirit  to  him.  It  left  him  awed  and 
touched.  He  recognized  the  generosity  which  had 
prompted  her;  she  had  realized  his  need  of  a 
woman's  trust.  And  so  she  had  withheld  nothing 
that  would  comfort  him.  She  had  made  him  feel 
safe,  the  way  a  mother  does.  She  had  picked  up  the 
little  boy  that  lies  hidden  in  the  heart  of  every  man, 
and  had  folded  him  in  her  breast. 

It  had  been  shameless  of  her.  He  had  not  guessed 
that  a  woman  could  be  so  good. 

And  she  had  made  him  so  finally  sure  of  her.  He 
felt  that  he  could  leave  her  and  know  that  her  pro 
tection  would  follow  him.  He  could  return  and  be 
equally  certain  that  none  of  her  understanding  would 
have  vanished.  She  was  the  first  woman  who  had 
impressed  him  with  her  ^isdom;  the  only  one  who 
had  had  the  courage  to  offer  him  her  strength. 

And  this  was  not  love.  He  smiled  exultantly.  It 
was  nobler  and  infinitely  more  rare.  Love,  as  he  had 
read  of  it  and  mistaken  it  in  his  experience,  was  a 
devastating  energy,  greedy  and  devouring.  It  was 
a  continual,  nagging  contention  between  self-abase 
ment  and  hostility.  It  was  a  humiliating  attempt  on 
the  part  of  a  man  to  barter  something,  which  was 
persistently  undervalued,  for  the  feminine  equiva 
lent  which  was  as  persistently  hoarded.  It  was  an 
amalgam  of  physical  yearning,  wounded  vanity  and 
resentment  of  contempt.  It  was  egotism  masquer 
ading  as  altruism.  It  was  a  dancing  bear  lumbering 
at  the  heels  of  insanity.  Of  all  the  passions  it  was 
the  most  hypocritical — a  snare-setter,  a  digger  of 


320     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

pitfalls,  an  enemy  disguised  as  one's  dearest  friend. 
He  tharked  God  there  was  no  hint  of  love  in  his  new 
found  friendship.  Like  an  outcast  fleeing  from  a 
storm,  he  had  blundered  against  the  door  of  this 
woman's  charity,  had  felt  it  yield  beneath  his  touch, 
and  had  found  himself  immersed  in  the  blessedness  of 
instant  and  unmerited  rest. 

Lazily  he  commenced  to  dress.  From  his  window 
he  could  see  the  Castle,  perched  grave  and  gray 
against  the  forehead  of  the  clouds.  He  wondered 
whether  she  was  up,  how  she  was  occupying  herself, 
whether  she  was  expecting  him?  He  listened  to  her 
voice  in  the  silence  of  his  brain,  like  the  far-away 
singing  of  contralto  bells.  He  saw  her  still  face, 
her  slow  smiling,  the  proud,  sweet  stateliness  of  her 
pacing  steps.  Then  his  thoughts  went  back  to 
whether  he  was  expected. 

If  he  were  not The  thought  chilled  him.  She 

had  said  nothing  to  encourage  him  to  seek  her 
afresh.  What  if  his  reappearance  should  cause  her 
embarrassment — an  embarrassment  which  she  would 
betray  by  withholding  herself?  It  was  quite  likely 
she  would  impute  to  him  wrong  motives.  Already 
she  might  have  repented  of  intimacies  she  had  al 
lowed.  He  had  placed  his  arm  about  her.  With  the 
injustice  of  most  women,  though  she  had  permitted 
it,  she  might  be  blaming  him  because  the  act  had 
been  witnessed  by  Terry.  Terry  of  all  persons ! 
Having  had  time  to  reflect,  she  might  be  accusing 
him  of  gallantries.  It  was  not  so  long  since  she  had 
confused  him  with  Adair.  From  her  untypical 
knowledge  of  him  she  was  entitled  to  estimate  him 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  321 

as  the  kind  of  man  to  whom  promiscuous  caresses 
were  a  practice.  He  turned  coward  at  the  recollec 
tion  of  his  daring.  Last  night  it  had  been  so  invol 
untary  and  had  seemed  so  natural.  Wh}*  had  he 
done  it?  Why  had  she  allowed  it?  It  had  been  the 
liberty  of  a  plow-boy  with  a  village-girl.  There 
would  be  little  room  for  wonder  if,  when  next  they 
met,  she  fixed  a  No  Man's  Land  of  pride  between 
herself  and  his  familiarity.  She  would  have  good 
reason,  for  their  companionship  would  be  shared  by 
Terry.  Poor  little  Terry,  with  her  exaggerated  sins 
and  distorted  self-accusations ! 

He  wandered  down  to  breakfast  disturbed  by 
these  apprehensions.  As  the  morning  dragged  by 
they  took  shape  as  facts.  Towards  noon  he  could 
tolerate  his  uncertainty  no  longer.  He  turned  his 
steps  in  the  direction  of  the  Castle,  having  first 
determined,  if  he  found  himself  unwelcome,  to  an 
nounce  that  the  purpose  of  his  visit  was  to  bid  good- 
by  before  setting  out  for  London. 

Ill 

He  had  been  shown  into  the  turret  room  and  sup 
plied  with  the  daily  papers,  while  the  same  grave 
image  who  had  admitted  him  the  night  before,  had 
departed  in  search  of  her  Ladyship.  More  to  calm 
himself  than  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  he  commenced 
to  glance  through  the  news. 

It  was  a  disjointed  world  that  the  pages  reflected 
— not  at  all  the  kingdom  round  the  corner  for  which 
the  war  had  been  fought.  Honor,  patriotism,  hero- 


322     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ism  seemed  forgotten  words.  The  old  ruthless 
scramble  of  commercialism  had  restarted.  The  hon 
esty  of  everybody,  whether  individuals,  governments 
or  nations,  was  being  doubted.  Class  and  race 
hatreds  had  broken  loose.  Strikes  were  pending. 
The  Allies  were  allied  only  in  name;  they  gnashed 
their  teeth  at  one  another  across  the  council-table 
in  Paris.  The  lying  game  of  diplomacy  had  been 
revived.  Poison-notes  were  being  exchanged.  The 
tabby-cat  statesmen  who  had  been  too  old  to  fight, 
were  busy  sowing  the  seeds  of  future  wars.  The 
politicians  who  had  nailed  mankind  to  the  cross, 
were  casting  lots  for  the  raiment  which  had  sur 
vived  the  sacrifice.  No  one  asked,  "Is  this  righteous 
ness?"  The  only  question  was,  "How  much  of  it  be 
longs  to  me?"  Meanwhile,  the  children  of  honester 
men  who  had  died,  starved  by  their  hundreds  of 
thousands.  Mothers  pressed  sick  babies  to  their 
milkless  breasts.  The  mutilated,  stoical  with  neg 
lect,  shuffled  along  the  pavements.  Fanatics  of 
despair  turned  hopeful  eyes  to  Russia  where  a  devil 
ment  was  brewing  which,  should  it  overboil,  would 
pour  destruction  across  five  continents.  No  one 
cared. 

He  glanced  through  the  window  at  the  quiet  land 
scape,  lying  green  and  sun-dappled  against  the  wet, 
gray  streak  of  summer  sky.  Was  his  own  experience 
so  universal?  Were  kingdoms  perpetually  round  the 
corner,  always  and  always  out  of  sight? 

As  he  again  took  up  the  paper,  his  eye  was  caught 
by  a  head-line:  STEELY  JACK  RUNS  FOR  PARLIA 
MENT.  Immediately  he  forgot  his  pessimism  and 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  323 

became  absorbed.  Braithwaite  had  come  out  with 
the  true  story  of  his  life.  He  was  calling  on  the 
seven  million  men  who  had  seen  service  to  fight  on  in 
peace  for  the  ideals  for  which  they  had  fought  in 
war.  He  insisted  that  if  they  cast  their  votes  to 
gether  as  one  man,  they  could  control  any  election. 
If  they  combined  with  the  patriot  ex-soldiers  of  other 
nations,  they  could  control  the  world.  He  was  out 
to  smash  politics  and  the  disastrous  iniquity  of 
political  compromise.  His  aim  was  to  restore  the 
comradeship  and  sharing  which  had  enabled  the  old 
front-line  to  stand  fast.  He  was  establishing  a 
paper.  He  was  speechifying.  He  was  to  hold  an 
immense  mass  meeting  in  the  Albert  Hall 

Tabs  laughed  in  sheer  excitement.  Here  was  one 
man  at  any  rate  who  wasn't  content  to  miss  his 
kingdom.  He  might  have  known  it.  He  could  see 
Braithwaite's  bleak  look  as  clearly  as  if  he  stood  be 
fore  him.  His  instinct  was  to  join  him  and  say  to 
him,  in  the  words  of  the  coster,  "You  and  me  was 
pals  out  there."  He'd  never  lost  an  inch  of  trench. 

"Bravo,  Braithwaite !" 

IV 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  your  Lordship.** 
Tabs   looked  up.      The  dignified  image  had  re 
turned  and  was  standing  in  the  doorway,  with  his 
chin  thrust  out  and  his  nose  at  a  high  angle  with 
his  collar. 

The  man  coughed  deferentially.  "If  your  Lord 
ship  will  follow  me " 


324     KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

But  at  that  moment  he  heard  her  calling  from 
beneath  the  turret  wall,  "Lord  Taborley!" 

Jumping  to  his  feet,  he  hurried  to  the  window 
and  leant  out.  She  was  in  her  riding  habit,  standing 
on  the  terrace  above  the  rose-garden.  "I've  just  got 
back  from  my  morning  ride.  I  have  to  visit  the  ken 
nels.  I  was  wondering  whether  you  would  accom 
pany  me." 

He  turned  to  the  footman.  "If  you'll  show  me 
the  way  out  to  the  terrace,  I  can  find  Lady  Dawn 
myself." 

She  had  moved  farther  away  to  where  the  steps 
led  down  between  the  rose-bushes.  As  he  came  to 
wards  her  through  the  sunlight,  she  pretended  not 
to  notice  him,  but  stood  meditatively  flicking  the 
dust  from  the  toe  of  her  boot  with  her  crop.  Even 
when  he  joined  her,  she  did  not  look  up.  They 
descended  the  steps  in  silence.  When  they  had 
turned  along  a  path,  where  no  one  could  observe 
them,  she  raised  her  eyes.  "I  was  afraid  you  had 
left." 

He  smiled,  unconsciously  imitating  her  quietness. 
"And  I,  too,  was  afraid.  I  was  afraid  you  would 
not  want  me.'* 

"Why  not?"  She  stopped  to  pluck  a  bud  in  pass 
ing.  "I  should  think  any  woman  would  want  you." 

He  looked  to  see  if  she  were  chaffing.  "Last 
night,"  he  explained,  "you  were  present  when 
at  least  one  woman  didn't  want  me.  That  was 
why " 

She  shot  a  glance  at  him  with  her  honest,  stone- 
gray  eyes.  Her  hands  started  out  to  touch  him, 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  325 

but  she  recalled  them.  "You  must  feel  sorry  for 
her,"  she  said  softly.  "She's  so  young.  I  think 
you'll  live  to  thank  her.  She'll  learn  that  men  like 
you  don't  come  every  day — only  once  in  a  life 
time." 

Uneasily  he  harked  back  to  her  first  statement. 
"Why  did  you  fear  that  I  had  left?" 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "You  had  nothing 
for  which  to  stay." 

"There  was  you." 

"Me!"  She  laughed  wisely.  "You  had  to  say 
that  out  of  politeness.  In  a  man's  world  I'm  of  no 
consequence.  I  know  how  I  appear  in  your  eyes. 
I've  been  married,  so  I'm  no  longer  a  novelty.  I'm 
not  so  young  as  I  was ;  I  shall  be  older.  And  then 
I'm  a  mother — you  forget  that,  Lord  Taborley.  Oh 
no,  I  have  no  attractions  to  offer." 

"You  have  friendship." 

"Friendship !"  She  repeated  the  word  with  a 
shake  of  her  head.  "Men  never  want  merely  friend 
ship;  they  want  less  or  more.  They  want  vivacity 
— some  one  who  will  halve  their  years,  with  whom 
they  can  sport  and  romp.  Some  one  who  can  have 
babies  to  them — little  pink  babies,  with  squirmy  toes 
and  baldy  heads.  They  want  to  begin  everything 
afresh.  They're  not  looking  for  another  man's  left 
overs.  Even  in  the  matter  of  disillusionizing  a 
woman,  they  want  to  do  that  for  themselves.  Men 
who've  not  been  married,  demand  that  a  woman  shall 
be  doing  everything,  as  they  are  doing  it,  for  the 
first  time.  It's  their  right." 

"But   there's    another   side,"   he   protested.      "A 


woman  who's  been  married  has  gained  experience — 
the  most  dearly  purchased  form  of  knowledge,  as 
you  yourself  have  told  me.  She  can  be  trusted  not 
to  expect  the  impossible.  She's  been  over  the  course 
and  knows  the  pitfalls.  She's  learnt  the  value  of 
compromise.  She  ought  to  have  learnt  how  to  be 
kind.  I  think  kindness  is  the  thing  that  matters 
most.  Few  people  are  born  with  it.  You  have  to 
have  been  wretched  to  acquire  the  knack  of  it." 

"And  yet  you  have  it,"  she  glanced  sideways  at 
him  humorously,  "and  you  haven't  been  married." 

Realizing  the  drift  of  their  conversation,  he 
pulled  himself  up.  He  feared  lest  she  suspected  him 
of  flirting.  "You're  very  generous,  Lady  Dawn." 

They  had  arrived  at  a  lookout  point,  where  a 
lichen-covered  summerhouse  stood,  protected  on  the 
steeper  side  by  a  low  stone  wall.  Below  them  lay 
the  moat,  green-scummed  and  starred  with  water- 
lilies;  throbbing  in  the  midday  haze,  the  emerald 
sward  of  the  parkland  seemed  to  float.  Against 
the  wall  she  halted.  "What  makes  you  say  that  I'm 
generous?" 

For  all  his  thirty-six  years,  he  blushed  like  a  boy. 
"Because  you  take  me  seriously.  After  last  night 
you  might  have  been  either  amused  or  annoyed. 
The  position  in  which  I  placed  you  was  false.  You 
thought  that  I'd  come  from  London  to  urge  Terry 
to  marry  me.  When  I  told  you  that  there  was  no 
one  else  in  the  world,  you  believed  that  I  knew  she 
was  staying  with  you — that  I  was  trying  to  per 
suade  you  to  plead  my  cause.  The  anti-climax, 
after  she'd  surprised  us,  was  the  height  of  tragical 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  327 

absurdity.  It  reduced  all  my  high-flown  sentiments 
to  farce.  I  wonder  you  were  able  to  prevent  your 
self  from  laughing.  Terry  could  afford  such  a 
scene ;  she's  little  more  than  a  child.  I  can't.  With 
four  more  years  to  my  age  I  could  pass  for  her 
father.  No,  please.  I  want  to  be  hard  on  myself. 
Let  me  finish  what  I'm  saying.  I've  only  met  you 
twice ;  on  each  occasion  I've  suffered  a  loss  of  dig 
nity.  The  other  time  was  when  I  tried  to  turn  you 
away  from  Maisie's  door.  You're  probably  aware 
that  since  then,  until  Pollock's  return,  I've  seen  far 
more  of  your  sister  than  was  wise.  In  fact  I've 
offered  myself  like  a  job  lot.  And  yet  there  was  a 
time  when  I  was  content  to  wait.  I  believed  that  one 
had  only  to  be  faithful  and  he'd  find  what  he  hoped 
for  round  some  future  corner.  You're  a  proud 
woman,  Lady  Dawn.  You  admire  strength  almost 
cruelly.  You're  inhumanly  infallible " 

Her  eyes  filled.  She  slipped  her  hand  through  his 
arm  and  patted  it  comfortingly.  By  the  contact  she 
was  comforting  herself  as  well.  "I'm  not.  I 
wasn't  infallible  when  I  married.  My  pride  came 
later  to  cover  up  my  fault.  I  don't  say  it  to  flatter 
you — any  woman  would  want  you." 

He  gazed  down  at  her.    "How  gentle  you  are !" 

"I  understand." 

They  strolled  along  in  contented  silence.  They 
had  trespassed  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  discretion. 
A  diversion  was  caused  when  they  reached  the  ken 
nels.  He  watched  her  among  the  leaping  hounds. 
She  employed  the  same  tactics  to  quiet  them  that 
she  had  used  with  himself.  With  a  coaxing  word 


328      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

and  a  caress  she  had  them  crouching  at  her  feet. 
iHe  listened  to  the  precision  of  her  orders  and  the 
definiteness  of  her  enquiries. 

"You'd  have  made  a  business  woman,"  he  re 
marked. 

She  laughed.  "I  could  if  I'd  been  forced.'*  And 
then,  "By  the  way,  you're  lunching  with  me,  aren't 
you?" 

"I'll  be  delighted.  But,  since  confessions  are  the 
fashion,  I  may  as  well  make  a  clean  breast.  If  I 
had  found  that  you  were  upset  with  what  happened 
last  night,  I'd  planned  to  tell  you  I  was  off  to  Lon 
don." 

"But  you're  not?" 

"One  doesn't  run  away  from  happiness." 

He  was  afraid  he  had  offended.  Her  expression 
clouded.  She  withdrew  and  walked  a  few  paces 
apart.  He  had  come  almost  to  the  point  of  apolo 
gizing,  when  she  turned  to  him  eyes  that  were  misty 
— suspiciously  misty  for  a  woman  who  never  cried. 
"I'm  glad  you  had  the  courage  to  tell  me,  because 

I  haven't  felt  so  happy  for I  daren't  own  how 

long." 

On  entering  the  Castle,  she  left  him  while  she 
went  to  change  for  lunch.  As  he  waited,  he  re 
minded  himself  that  in  a  handful  of  seconds  he 
would  be  meeting  Terry.  The  anticipation  provided 
him  with  none  of  the  old  elation.  With  what  ecstasy 
he  used  to  watch  for  her  in  days  gone  by,  as  though 
the  world  was  reborn  when  she  stood  before  him ! 
Far  from  feeling  ecstasy,  he  was  filled  with  uneasi 
ness.  Her  presence  would  recall  to  him  his  failure 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  329 

and  would  mock  something  beautiful  that  had  com 
menced  in  his  life.  What  that  something  was  he 
hadn't  estimated.  All  he  knew  was  that,  with  the 
coming  of  Lady  Dawn,  every  one  of  his  problems 
had  mysteriously  found  settlement.  He  was  no 
longer  humiliated.  He  was  once  more  sure  of  his 
direction.  He  felt  unreasonably  strong  and  tri 
umphant,  as  though  the  goal  of  his  striving  was  in 
sight.  His  old  dread  of  growing  middle-aged  im 
pressed  him  as  puerile.  Whatever  his  age,  she 
would  always  keep  pace  with  him.  She  was  the  same 
age  as  he  was.  Had  he  been  younger  or  older,  he 
might  have  missed  her  or  gone  by  her  with  unseeing 
eyes. 

When  he  entered  the  room  in  which  lunch  was 
served,  he  found  that  Lady  Dawn  was  alone. 
Glancing  at  the  table,  he  perceived  with  surprise 
that  only  two  covers  had  been  laid.  She  read  the 
question  in  his  eyes  and  answered  it. 

"Terry's  away.  I  forgot  to  tell  you.  She  had  an 
early  breakfast  and  motored  into  Gloucester  before 
I  was  up.  The  car's  come  back  without  her.  She's 
sent  no  word  as  to  when  or  how  she  proposes  to  re 
turn." 

"Something  urgent?"  he  asked  casually. 

"More  likely  shopping.  A  woman's  shopping's 
always  urgent.  I'm  no  wiser  than  you  are.  The 
first  I  heard  about  her  going  was  when  I  was  in 
formed  she  had  gone." 

He  relapsed  into  thought.  It  wasn't  difficult  to 
conjecture  the  reason  for  Terry's  errand.  She'd 
been  no  more  anxious  to  meet  him  just  at  present 


330      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

than  he  had  been  to  meet  her.  She'd  taken  the  day 
off  in  the  hope  that  by  nightfall  he  would  have 
departed. 

Another  solution  occurred  to  him.  "Did  she  ever 
mention  to  you  a  General  Braithwaite?" 

Lady  Dawn  met  his  eyes  with  a  hint  of  warning. 
Listeners  were  present.  "I  believe  she  did,"  she  ad 
mitted  discouragingly. 

"The  only  reason  why  I  asked  was  that  his  name's 
in  the  morning  papers.  She  may  have  seen  it  before 
she  started.  If  so,  it  might  explain " 

"John  will  know."  Lady  Dawn  turned  to  the 
footman.  "Did  Miss  Beddow  read  the  papers, 
John,  this  morning  before  she  left?" 

"She  did,  my  Lady.  It  was  after  she  had  read 
them  that  she  ordered  the  car." 

"Then  that's  it."  Tabs  dismissed  the  subject  as 
unworthy  of  further  discussing.  "She  went  to 
Gloucester  to  hurry  off  a  telegram  of  congratula 
tion.  Braithwaite's  had  a  stroke  of  luck." 

"If  that  is  all,"  Lady  Dawn  smiled  mischievously, 
"I  wonder  that  she  didn't  come  back  in  the  car.  A 
telegram  can  be  dispatched  in  five  minutes." 

From  then  on,  the  threat  of  Terry's  return  hung 
over  them,  urging  them  to  make  the  most  of  their 
respite.  Everything  that  had  started  between  them 
was  so  new  and  uncertain.  No  time-limit  had  been 
set  to  Tabs'  visit;  his  original  reason  for  coming  to 
Dawn  Castle  was  exhausted.  There  was  no  suf 
ficiently  plausible  excuse  for  prolonging  his  stay  in 
the  village  longer.  A  little  absence,  a  little  careless 
ness  of  forgetting,  a  few  new  interests  and  who 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  331 

could  say  but  that  this  sudden  need  of  each  other, 
which  had  rushed  them  together  with  such  com 
pelling  impulse,  might  not  subside  as  unaccountably 
as  it  had  occurred.  In  both  their  hearts  this  dread 
•was  present — this  distrust  of  the  permanency  of 
their  emotions.  If  they  parted,  they  might  meet 
again  to  find  the  magic  irrecoverable. 

After  lunch  they  retired  to  the  room  in  the  turret. 
She  chose  her  favorite  chair  by  the  window  and  sat 
there  sewing,  with  her  work-basket  at  her  feet.  He 
sat  opposite,  watching  the  busy  occupation  of  her 
hands.  He  noticed  that  many  of  the  garments 
which  she  mended  belonged  to  the  small  boy  whom 
he  had  seen  in  the  rose-garden. 

She  looked  up.  "I  always  do  everything  for 
Eric.*' 

It  was  later,  when  tea  was  being  served,  that  the 
small  boy  himself  peered  in  on  them.  Tabs  caught 
his  jealous  eyes  peering  round  the  doorway.  "Won't 
you  come  and  talk  to  me?" 

But  the  child  ran  away,  despite  his  mother's 
coaxings,  and  refused  to  divulge  his  place  of  hiding. 

She  apologized.  "He's  not  quite  eight  yet — the 
only  sweetheart  I  have."  Later  she  said,  "I've  been 
thinking  of  what  we  talked  last  night — I  mean  his 
father.  Would  it  be  too  far-fetched  tq  believe  that 
it  was  really  he  and  not  your  imagination,  that 
piloted  us  together?" 

"Not  far-fetched  at  all.  I'm  sure  of  it.  He 
wanted  us  to  meet  that  I  might  tell  you " 

"What?"  She  bent  forward,  folding  her  hands 
in  her  lap  and  watching  him  searchingly.  "Not 


332      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

about  his  heroism ;  he'd  take  that  for  granted.  Not 
that  he'd  loved  me;  we  both  knew  it.  Not  any 
thing  self-pitying  or  weak  that  would  rouse  my  re- 
gret- " 

"You  know."  His  assertion  was  almost  a  ques 
tion.  "Somehow  he's  got  his  message  across  to  you." 

She  lowered  her  eyes  and  resumed  her  sewing. 
"I  couldn't  sleep  last  night.  I  lay  awake  puzzling 
and  remembering — remembering  the  long  waste  of 
years,  the  loneliness  and  the  love  that  had  turned  to 
bitterness.  And  now,  when  ordinarily  there  would 
be  no  chance  to  make  amends,  he  sends  you  to  me, 
speaking  through  your  lips  and  taking  possession 
of  your  thoughts.  He's  trying  to  do  something  for 
me — something  that  will  blot  out  my  past  for  me, 
as  his  sacrifice  has  blotted  out  his  past  for  him. 
Something  comforting*and  tender — 

The  seconds  ticked  by.  If  she  had  guessed  the 
dead  man's  desire,  she  refused  to  put  it  into  words. 
The  silence  grew  painful. 

Tabs  looked  at  his  watch.  It  was  nearer  six  than 
five.  He  rose  reluctantly.  "I  suppose  I  should  be 
going." 

"But  you're  staying  in  the  village  to-night?" 

"I  hadn't  intended.  There'll  be  moonlight.  I  was 
planning  to  be  in  London  by  morning." 

"Don't  do  that.  You'll  make  me  think  you're 
afraid  of  meeting  Terry.  Dine  with  me  to-night." 

She  had  risen.  Her  gesture  was  almost  one  of 
pleading.  He  smiled  tenderly  and  took  her  hand. 
"Your  wishes  are  mine.  I'll  run  down  to  the  inn 
and  dress." 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  333 

By  the  time  he  returned  it  was  nearly  seven.  She 
met  him  with  ill-concealed  trouble.  "Terry's  not 
back.  It's  strange.  You  see  I'm  responsible  for 
her.  And " 

The  footman  entered  with  a  letter.  "For  your 
Lordship." 

"Are  you  sure?"  Then  Tabs  recollected.  "Yes, 
of  course.  I  left  my  address  with  Ann." 

As  he  took  the  letter  he  scanned  the  handwriting. 
"Odd !"  When  the  man  had  left,  he  turned  to  Lady 
Dawn.  "It's  from  her.  Did  you  guess?" 


"But  why  should  she  be  writing  when  she'll  be  see 
ing  you  any  minute?" 

Tabs  squared  his  lips.  He  began  to  feel  the  stir 
ring  of  a  storm  of  anxiety.  "Perhaps,  because  she 
doesn't  intend  to  be  seeing  me  any  minute.'*  He 
looked  at  the  postmark.  It  had  been  mailed  at 
eleven  o'clock  that  morning  in  Gloucester.  He  tore 
the  envelope  and  commenced  to  read.  Before  he  had 
read  far,  he  turned  with  a  worried  expression  to  Lady 
Dawn.  "This  concerns  you  as  well."  She  came  and 
stood  beside  his  elbow.  They  glanced  through  the 
pages  together.  It  was  written  on  commercial  note- 
paper  of  The  New  Inn,  Gloucester,  and  ran : 

DEAREST  TABS: 

I  love  you  very  much — just  as  much  as  ever.  I  al 
ways  want  you  to  feel  sure  of  that.  But  my  love  isn't 
the  kind  you've  asked  for.  It  never  can  be.  Because 
of  this  there  are  so  many  things  that  I've  not  been  able 


334      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

to  tell  you — so  I've  been  avoiding  and  deceiving  you 
ever  since  you  came  back.  I  know  I've  not  been  honor 
able.  A  promise  once  given  ought  to  be  sacred;  I  gave 
you  my  promise  that  I  would  marry  you.  But  that's 
all  I  could  do  for  you  now — just  marry  you;  I  couldn't 
give  you  the  other  things  you  would  have  a  right  to 
expect.  I  ought  to  have  said,  the  other  things  you  have 
earned  and  deserved  more  than  any  man.  So,  though  7 
married  you,  I  should  still  be  robbing  you,  which  would 
be  even  more  treacherous  than  not  fulfilling  a  promise. 

That  I'm  in  love  with  General  Braithwaite  is  no  news 
to  you.  Love  may  not  be  the  proper  word.  At  least 
I'm  so  infatuated  with  him  that  there's  no  room  in  my 
heart  for  any  other  man.  Do  you  remember  that  night 
in  March,  when  you  dined  with  us  and  asked  my  father 
for  my  hand,  and  next  morning  early  I  came  round  in 
a  panic  to  your  house?  I  didn't  dare  tell  you  all  my 
trouble.  The  General  had  urged  me  to  elope  with  him. 
I  wish,  wish,  wish  that  I  had.  I  should  be  his  now  and 
sure  of  him.  By  delaying  and  suspecting  I've  all  but 
lost  him. 

I  always  knew  that  he  would  be  a  big  man — as  big 
after  the  war  as  he  was  while  it  lasted.  What  this 
morning's  papers  say  about  him  proves  it.  So  for  all 
these  reasons  and  because  I  can't  bear  to  face  you  at  the 
Castle,  I'm  taking  my  fate  in  my  hands.  Please  tell 
Lady  Dawn  that  I  shan't  be  back  and  excuse  me  in  any 
way  you  can.  I'm  only  carrying  one  small  bag;  she 
can  send  the  rest  of  my  things  after  me. 

There's  one  request  I  have  to  make — that  neither  of 
you  will  notify  my  father  till  at  least  twenty-four  hours 
have  elapsed.  All  my  future  happiness  may  depend  on 
your  granting  this  request.  It's  the  last  favor  I  shall 
ever  ask  you. 

And  now,  my  very  dear  Tabs,  almost  my  brother,  if 
this  hurts  you,  please  take  revenge  by  bundling  me  out 
of  your  mind.  I  was  never  your  equal,  never  worthy 
of  you,  though  you  placed  me  on  a  pedestal  that  was 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  335 

far  above  you.  Comfort  yourself  by  believing  that  if 
you'd  married  me,  you  would  have  found  this  out.  What 
a  wretched  quitter  I  appear  in  my  own  eyes  after  all 
you  suffered  in  the  trenches,  to  have  reserved  this  worse 
suffering  for  you,  when  your  life  has  been  spared  and 
you  had  counted  on  me  for  happiness.  My  entire  body's 
not  worth  your  little  finger.  And  yet  how  good  you've 
always  been  to  me — 

You'll  get  a  better  woman  than  I  am.  I  think  I 
already  know  who  she'll  be;  if  I'm  right,  I  shall  be  so 
very  glad. 

I  feel  so  humble — so  apologetic.  It's  such  a  differ 
ent  ending  from  the  one  we  dreamt  when  I  saw  you  off 
on  the  troop-train  with  my  hair  all  blowy  down  my  back. 
There's  nothing  gained  by  recalling  that.  I  meant  so 
well  by  you;  you've  always  been  so  much  to  me,  my 
dearest,  loyal  Tabs. 

Even  though  you  despise  me,  I  still  insist  on  signing 
myself, 

Your  ever  affectionate 

TERRY. 

"I'm  sorry."    It  was  Lady  Dawn. 

He  shook  himself.  He  was  so  raw  that  even  her 
sympathy  almost  wounded.  "Don't  pity  me.  It's 
she  we've  got  to  help.  What's  to  be  done?" 

"Done!     I  haven't  thought.     What  can  we " 

"We  can  follow  her  and  bring  her  back.  We've 
got  to — and  we  haven't  much  time.  You  must  have 
read  between  the  lines  what  her  letter  meant.  After 
having  turned  Braithwaite  down,  she's  gone  off  to 
beg  him  to  elope  with  her.  When  a  girl  puts  herself 
at  a  man's  mercy  like  that,  there's  no  knowing  how 
he'll  act.  The  chances  are  that,  whatever  he  does, 
it  won't  be  honorable.  We've  got  to  prevent  her,  not 


336      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

only  for  her  own  sake,  but  for  his  sake  as  well.  He's 
just  started  on  a  great  career;  if  this  story  leaks 
out,  he'll  be  smashed.  They'll  both  be  smashed,  for 
that  matter.  If  she'd  give  him  time  to  marry  her 
honestly,  it  wouldn't  matter  whether  her  family  had 
consented.  But  she  doesn't  intend  to — that's  why 
she's  asked  us  to  keep  quiet  for  twenty-four  hours. 
What  we've  got  to  do  is  not  to  stop  her  from  marry 
ing  him — no  one  cares  about  that;  but  to  catch  her 
before  she  runs  off  with  him." 

"But  we  don't  know  where ' 

"No,  we  don't."  He  spoke  rapidly.  "But  we  can 
find  out.  Ann  can  tell  us.  Ann's  a  maid  in  my 
house;  she  was  practically  engaged  to  him  when  he 
was  my  valet.  Now  that  I  look  back,  I'm  sure  she's 
known  everything  from  the  start  and  has  seen  this 
coming.  We  can  get  Braithwaite's  address  from 
her ;  when  we  know  that,  we  shall  have  laid  our  hands 
on  Terry." 

While  he  had  been  speaking,  Lady  Dawn  had  been 
rummaging  through  her  desk.  He  went  and  bent 
over  her,  his  hands  on  her  shoulders.  She  was  finger 
ing  a  time-table.  She  looked  up  at  him  with  her 
head  leant  back.  "There's  no  train — nothing  that 
will  reach  London  till  morning." 

"Then  we  must  motor." 

Her  face  was  still  raised  to  his.  She  spoke  softly. 

"We!  You  say  we  every  time.  Do  you  mean 

What  do  you  mean,  Lord  Taborley?" 

His  intensity  relaxed.  Flushing  with  confusion, 
he  stared  down  at  the  whiteness  of  her  breast,  the 
queenliness  of  her,  her  graying  hair  and  her  ex- 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  337 

pettant,  tender  mouth.  "I  want  you  to  come  with 
me.  I  ought  to  have  asked  you  properly.  I've  been 
taking  you  for  granted  and  ordering  you  about." 

She  remained  very  still,  gazing  directly  up  into 
his  troubled  eyes.  He  thought  ^she  was  judging  him. 
At  last  she  whispered,  "Don't  be  sad.  I  like  you  to 
order  me." 

VI 

They  had  all  night  before  them.  If  they  left  the 
Castle  by  ten,  they  could  be  in  Brompton  Square 
by  five  in  the  morning.  Nothing  would  be  gained 
by  arriving  earlier. 

Now  that  the  first  shock  was  over,  they  went  into 
dinner  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  In  the  long, 
dim  banqueting-hall  there  were  only  the  two  of  them. 
They  sat  close  together  at  the  illuminated  high- 
table  like  castaways,  marooned  on  an  island,  in  an 
ocean  of  brooding  shadows.  While  they  dined  they 
conversed  in  lowered  voices  to  prevent  their  plans 
from  being  overheard.  It  was  decided  to  take  Lady 
Dawn's  Rolls  Royce  and  to  leave  the  runabout  be 
hind.  The  reason  acknowledged  was  that  it  would 
be  more  dependable.  The  reason  unmentioned  was 
that  the  presence  of  a  chauffeur  would  lend  an  air 
of  much  needed  propriety. 

Graduall}7  as  they  talked,  the  seriousness  of  their 
errand  dropped  from  sight;  their  journey  took  on 
the  complexion  of  an  adventure.  Its  unconvention 
clothed  it  with  romance.  How  unconventional  it 
was  they  realized  when  Lady  Dawn  gave  the  butler 
orders  concerning  her  departure.  He  was  an  old 


338      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

man,  rigid  with  tradition,  who,  having  served  the 
family  for  three  generations,  had  acquired  the  aris 
tocratic  bearing  of  his  masters. 

"At  ten  o'clock,  your  Ladyship.  To  where?  To 
London!  That's  a  long  journey  to  take  at  night. 
And  the  car  will  call  at  the  inn  first  to  pick 
up  his  Lordship's  luggage.  Oh,  I  see,  my  Lady. 
I  thought  at  first  that  your  Ladyship  was  going." 

"I  am,"  she  corrected  with  quiet  dignity.  "Lord 
Taborley  and  I  are  going  on  an  errand  of  great 
importance.  I  don't  want  this  talked  about.  You 
understand?  And  who'll  be  driving?  Witheralli 
Then  warn  Witherall  to*  keep  silent." 

When  the  butler  had  withdrawn,  she  turned  to 
Tabs.  "I'm  breaking  all  my  precedents  for  you.  I 
couldn't  have  told  him,  if  I  hadn't  had  you  to  keep 
me  in  countenance.  He  looked  so  shocked  that  he 
made  me  feel  as  if  it  were  you  and  I,  instead  of 
Terry,  who  were  doing  the  eloping.  I'm  sure  that's 
what  he  thought.  There'll  be  gossip.  I  shall  have 
to  pay  the  piper ;  but  I'm  too  happy  to-night  to  look 
ahead." 

"It  hadn't  occurred  to  me :  Tabs  hesitated. 

"I've  been  unpardonably  inconsiderate.  I  see  it  now 
— you'll  be  what  they  call  compromised.  In  that 
case,  it  will  be  wiser 

"It  won't."  She  bent  towards  him  laughing.  Her 
pearls,  nestling  in  the  white  cleft  of  her  bosom, 
gleamed  dully,  shaken  by  her  quiet  merriment.  In 
the  short  time  that  he  had  known  her,  she  had  be 
come  extraordinarily  girlish — almost  girlish  enough 
to  put  back  the  hands  of  time  for  the  proper  man. 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  339 

"It  won't.  It  won't  be  wiser.  It's  never  wiser  to 
turn  your  back  on  happiness.  I'd  dare  anything 
to-night.  You've  invited  me ;  you  can't  wriggle  out." 

"If  that's  how  you  feel "  He  checked  himself. 

Her  mischief  warned  him.  Instinctively  he  knew 
that  she  was  about  to  ask  precisely  how  he  thought 
she  felt.  He  cancelled  what  he  had  intended  saying 
and  substituted,  "It's  an  ill-wind  that  blows  nobody 
any  good.  And  it's  poor  Terry  we  have  to  thank 
for  this  chance  of  being  together  a  little  longer!" 

"Is  it  a  chance?  You're  not  bored?  You  do  want 
me?" 

He  raised  his  eyes  slowly.  Her  pain  had  startled 
him.  Up  to  that  moment  he  hadn't  been  awake  to 
how  utterly  he  had  come  to  want  her.  For  an  in 
stant  he  had  a  glimpse  of  the  emptiness  of  life, 
should  he  find  himself  deprived  of  her  comradeship. 

"You  didn't  need  to  ask  me  that !"  he  said  quietly. 
"And  now  it's  my  turn  to  be  inquisitive.  Does  it 
make  you  glad  to  hear  me  own  that  I  want  you?" 

He  watched  her  color  rise.  It  was  like  the  elfin 
tiptoeing  of  her  spirit  behind  the  white  transparent 
walls  of  her  flesh.  It  climbed  the  smooth  ascent  of 
her  breast,  passed  up  the  columned  tower  of  her 
throat  and  stared  out  at  him  excitedly  in  the  bright 
ness  of  her  eyes. 

"Men  don't  ask  things  like  that,"  she  said  re 
proachfully,  "at  least,  only  when  they're  flirting. 
I  sometimes  think — —  Don't  treat  me  like  all  the 
others  who  were  before  me." 

"What  others?" 

She  held  his  gaze.     "The  emotional  women  and 


340    INGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

silly  girls You  must  have  been  loved  very 

ofteri,  Lord  Taborley." 

To  have  defended  himself  against  her  tender 
jealousy  would  have  been  futile.  She  was  plainly 
anxious  to  believe  her  accusation.  Perhaps  it  flat 
tered  her  a  little.  Perhaps  it  lent  him  an  added 
touch  of  glamor.  He  was  wondering  how  he  should 
satisfy  her.  He  could  remember  no  hearts  that  his 
fascination  had  broken.  He  could  rake  up  abso 
lutely She  was  speaking  again. 

"And  yet  I'm  glad  you  compelled  me  to  tell  you 
that  I  wanted  you.  You're  making  me  do  things 
that  I  never  did  before  in  my  life.  I'm  supposed  to 
be  a  cold  woman.  You'll  find  people  who'll  say  that 
I'm  remote  and  domineering.  I've  only  one  big  affec 
tion — my  little  boy.  For  your  sake  I'm  leaving  him 
alone  to-night." 

"For  mine?" 

"For  whose  else?" 

"I  thought  for  Terry's." 

Her  lips  parted.  The  laughter  died  in  her  eyes. 
"In  your  heart  you  knew  better." 

Then  he  left  her  and  went  down  to  the  inn  to 
pack  his  bag. 

VII 

He  had  paid  his  bill.  His  luggage  had  been 
carried  downstairs.  There  was  still  a  full  quarter 
of  an  hour  to  wait.  He  sat  in  his  bedroom  smoking 
furiously.  Before  he  met  her  again,  he  wanted  to 
know  precisely  what  had  happened  to  himself — and, 
perhaps,  to  her. 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  341 

He  was  filled  with  self-distrust.  His  newly  dis 
covered  propensity  for  falling  in  love  was  genuinely 
alarming.  It  wasted  his  time,  upset  his  plans  and 
robbed  him  of  his  mental  vigor.  It  made  him  a 
rudderless  ship  at  the  mercy  of  any  chance  winds  of 
sentiment.  Up  to  less  than  three  months  ago  the 
solitary  woman  in  his  life  had  been  Terry.  Through 
out  the  war,  while  the  masculine  world  had  been 
making  an  amorous  idiot  of  itself,  he  had  kept  his 
head  clear  and  gone  straight.  Things  had  come  to 
a  pretty  pass  if  now,  when  normality  was  returning 
and  the  excuse  for  running  wild  was  out-of-date, 
he  should  start  on  his  emotional  escapades.  His  love 
for  Terry  had  been  deep-rooted.  His  fondness  for 
Maisie  had  been  the  attempt  of  a  starved  heart  to 
satisfy  its  craving  with  a  substitute.  But  where 
was  this  pursuit  of  substitutes  to  end?  If  it  went 
much  further  he  would  gain  for  himself  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  a  limpet  who  attached  himself  to  any 
chance  rock  of  feminine  amiability.  The  kind  of 
woman  he  cared  to  associate  with  would  avoid  him. 
If  ever  he  were  to  fall  in  love  again,  his  attentions 
would  be  so  shop-worn  that 

If  ever  he  were  to  fall  in  love  again !  Within  the 
last  twenty-four  hours  his  irresponsible  heart  had 
committed  this  disastrous  folly  for  a  third  time. 

He  smiled  cynically,  as  though  he  were  two  sep 
arate  persons,  one  of  whom  was  cool  and  calculating, 
while  the  other  was  improvident  and  scape-grace. 
How  Lady  Dawn  would  despise  him,  were  he  to  re 
veal  to  her  the  stupid  commotion  of  his  mind!  His 
excuse  for  blundering  his  way  into  her  privacy  had 


342      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

been  sufficiently  fantastic :  that  her  late  husband  was 
employing  his  living  brain  to  communicate  with  her 
from  the  dead.  It  must  have  strained  her  credulity 
to  the  breaking-point.  If  on  top  of  this  he  were 
to  propose  to  her,  what  possible  conclusions  could 
she  draw?  Either  that  in  order  to  gain  her  inti 
macy,  he  had  perpetrated  a  cruel  fraud ;  or  else  that 
he  was  so  lacking  in  humor  as  to  believe  that  Lord 
Dawn,  from  beyond  the  grave,  was  arranging  for 
his  wife's  second  marriage.  The  drollery  of  a  dead 
husband  acting  match-maker  made  him  smile.  In  the 
middle  of  his  smiling*  he  pulled  himself  up.  Why 
not?  Why  shouldn't  a  husband  who  had  wrecked 
his  wife's  happiness,  try  to  repair  the  damage,  if 
that  were  possible,  when  through  death  he  had  at 
tained  a  kinder  knowledge?  The  Roman  Church 
prayed  to  the  dead  whom  it  canonized.  There 
were  thousands  of  parents,  wives,  sweethearts,  bereft 
by  the  war,  who  were  asserting  that  their  longing 

had  bridged  the  gulf  and  penetrated 

He  shook  himself,  as  though  to  struggle  free  from 
an  invisible  assailant.  Hallucinations!  All  these 
so-called  spiritualistic  manifestations  were  the  result 
of  over-taxed  imagination.  To  stick  to  facts  was 
the  only  safe  course ;  and  these  were  the  facts  in  his 
case.  He  had  approached  Lady  Dawn  as  a  mat 
ter  of  duty  to  tell  her  the  truth  about  a  husband 
whom  she  had  not  known  at  his  best.  She  had  mis 
interpreted  his  motive  and  had  believed  that  he  had 
come  to  confess  to  her  his  own  failure.  She  had 
been  thrown  off  her  guard,  had  dropped  her  mask  of 
stoicism  and  had  lavished  on  him  a  reckless  kindness. 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  343 

But  other  women  had  been  reckless  to  him  in  their 
ki.idness.  Terry  had:  so  had  Maisie.  Women's  kind 
ness  had  caused  his  present  predicament — their 
kindness,  plus  his  awkward  knack  of  valuing  their 
kindness  at  more  than  its  face  worth.  He  had  learnt 
his  lesson.  Never  again  would  he  be  lured  into  the 
net  of  feminine  fickleness.  When  he  felt  the  tempta 
tion  rising,  he  would  suppress  and  ignore  it ;  at  any 
rate  he  would  ignore  it  until  the  woman,  who  was 
rousing  his  affection,  had  declared  her  intentions 
beyond  any  chance  of  mistaking. 

And  Lady  Dawn?  She  was  in  a  class  by  herself. 
He  held  her  sacred.  The  mere  thought  that  she 
should  ever  fall  in  love  with  him  was  impertinence. 
To  talk  cheap  sentiment  would  be  insulting.  It 
would  cause  him  to  lose  her  friendship — a  loss  which 
he  could  not  bear  to  contemplate.  It  would  be  tak 
ing  a  mean  advantage  of  a  situation  created  for  an 

entirely  different  purpose. And  yet,  dare  he 

trust  himself,  now  that  he  was  in  love-  with  her,  in 
the  intimate  aloneness  of  a  long  night  drive  to  Lon 
don? 

He  rose  to  his  feet  disgusted.  If  this  was  the  loss 
of  self-control  that  peace  had  brought,  better  a 
thousand  times  the  rigors  of  the  sacrifice  that  was 
ended.  Out  there  he  had  been  strong;  here  he  was 
a  sick  dog,  licking  his  sores  and  whimpering  at  his 
own  shadow.  Self-pity  had  wrought  this  wholesale 
impotence — an  impotence  which  was  infecting  the 
entire  world.  While  individuals  and  nations  had 
thought  only  of  others,  they  had  been  valiant ;  they 
had  raced  in  generous  competition,  clean-limbed  as 


344      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

athletes,  towards  the  tape,  where  endeavor  ends  and 
eternity  commences.  And  now  this  lethargy,  this 
cowardice — this  monstrous  fat  of  quaking  emotion ! 

A  memory  flashed  back  on  him — an  afternoon  in 
March  when  he  had.  been  obsessed  by  a  similar  dis 
content.  It  had  happened  in  the  Mall,  after  his  in 
terview  with  Braithwaite  and  just  before  his  intro 
duction  to  Maisie.  He'had  come  across  a  sign-board 
which  had  announced  that,  by  following  a  certain 
path,  one  would  arrive  at  the  Passport  Office.  That 
narrow  track,  vanishing  into  the  bushy  greenness, 
had  seemed  to  him  the  first  five  hundred  yards  of 
the  road  that  led  to  world-wideness  and  freedom. 
At  the  end  of  it  lay  Samoa,  Tibet,  the  Malay  Archi 
pelago — jeweled  seas  and  painted  solitudes  which 
human  disillusions  could  not  wither.  Instantly  his 
will  concentrated.  By  following  that  road  he  could 
become  lean-souled  again.  By  reseeking  hardships, 
he  could  recover  his  lost  discipline.  The  idea  held 
him  spellbound.  It  meant  escape.  It  meant  a  re 
turn  top  monasticism.  Then  and  there  he  deter 
mined  that  he»  would  commence  his  preliminary 
enquiries  to-morrow. 

Going  to  the-  window,  he  leant  out.  The  quaint 
village  street  was  sleeping1.  The  night  was  so  still 
that,  it  scarcely  breathed ;  it  lay  like  a  tired  child 
in  the  firm  white  arms  of  the  moonlight.  Coming 
smoothly  to  a  halt-  before  the  hostel  was  a  powerful 
car.  It  was  a  landaulet  and  the  hood  was 
lowered.  Lady  Dawn  must  have  altered  her  plans 
at  the-  last  moment ;  instead  of  sending  for  him,  she 
had  come  herself !.  Catching  sight  of  him,  she  waved 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  345 

her  hand.  His  heart  became  quiet.  Like  the  night 
without,  his  being  was  flooded  with  a  drifting  white 
ness  that  robbed  the  darkness  of  its  terror. 


VIII 

As  he  stood  by  the  side  of  the  car  talking  to  her 
while  his  bag  was  being  stowed  away,  her  manner 
was  chillingly  conventional.  It  was  so  conven 
tional  that  it  bordered  on  the  unfriendly.  About 
the  unfriendliness  of  the  chauffeur  there  could  be 
no  doubt.  The  elaborate  care  with  which  he  tucked 
the  robe  about  her  Ladyship  had  a  distinct  air  of 
alert  possessiveness. 

When  Tabs  had  taken  his  place  beside  her  and 
the  village  was  left  behind,  she  relaxed  and  laughed 
softly.  "Such  a  trouble  I've  had!  They  all  dis 
approved  of  our  expedition — I  mean  the  servants. 

Their  eyes  accused  me  of Perhaps  it's  better 

not  to  be  explicit.  But  that  was  why  I  called  for 
you,  instead  of  letting  you  come  to  the  Castle.  Did 
you  notice  anything  queer  about  Witherall?" 

"Your  chauffeur?  I  thought  he  rather  overdid 
his  superciliousness  and  that  he  treated  you  a  little 
as  if  he  were  your  husband.  Apart  from  that " 

"Apart  from  that,"  she  laughed,  "he  made  you 
feel  entirely  welcome.  You  mustn't  mind  him.  My 
servants  aren't  used  to  seeing  me  with  an  escort. 

And  then Well,  an  all-night  ride  would  be  a 

little  difficult  to  explain  to  anybody." 

"I  suppose  it  would." 

They  relapsed  into  silence.     It  was  jolly  to  be  so 


346      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

near  to  her  and,  after  the  fears  he  had  had,  to  know 
himself  so  trusted.  She  sat  quite  close  to  him,  so 
that  he  could  feel  the  warmth  of  her  body.  Her 
shoulders  touched  him;  sometimes  she  leant  against 
him  with  a  gentle  pressure.  Her  fragrance  was  all 
about  him.  The  robe  spread  across  their  knees  gave 
an  added  touch  of  intimacy.  He  glanced  down  at 
her  sideways.  She  was  wearing  a  moleskin  coat  with 
a  deep  collar  of  silver-fox.  She  had  on  a  moleskin 
hat,  close  fitting  to  her  glossy  head.  Her  face  was 
partly  hidden  by  a  smart  veil.  She  was  immaculate 
as  ever — as  composed  and  stylish  as  if  she  were 
going  to  a  theater-party  instead  of  on  an  all-night 
ride  to  London.  But  it  wasn't  her  stylishness  that 
impressed  him ;  it  was  her  littleness.  She  looked  very 
tender  and  pale  as  she  sat  beside  him.  The  moral 
back  of  her  chauffeur,  as  seen  through  the  glass, 
condemned  him  of  unkindness.  He  had  had  no  right 
to  ask  her  to  accompany  him.  Why  should  he  have 
burdened  her  with  his  troubles?  She  must  have 
plenty  of  her  own,  with  her  boy  to  care  for  and 
her  estate  to  manage. 

"I've  been  selfish,"  he  said.  "You  ought  to  be  in 
bed  and  sleeping  now." 

She  smiled.  "Always  blaming  yourself,  aren't 
you?  I  shouldn't  be  here  unless  I'd  wanted." 

"But  why  did  you  want?" 

Beneath  the  robe  her  hand  commenced  to  grope. 
It  stole  into  his  own  and  lay  there  quietly.  "Be 
cause  I  couldn't  bear  to  see  you  hurt.  You're  so 
good.  In  some  ways  you're  so  strong;  in  others 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  347 

you're  just  as  tiny  as  my  Eric.  I  felt  you  needed 
me  for  the  moment." 

"For  the  moment !    I  shall  always  need  you." 

"I  wish  you  might."  She  shook  her  head  slowly. 
"But  you  won't.  You'll  go  away.  I  shall  hear 
about  you — all  the  big  things  you're  accomplishing 
and  planning.  And  then  I  shall  remember  that  for 
just  one  night  I  had  you  for  my  very  own." 

"But  we're  always  going  to  be  friends.  I  shall 
be  always  coming  back  to  you." 

"Men  don't  come  back,  Lord  Taborley.  A  man 
of  your  temperament  is  least  likely  to  come  back. 
You  press  forward.  You're  eager.  Wherever  you 
go  you  form  new  affections.  I'm  not  like  that.  I'm 
cold.  You  don't  think  so,  but  then  I'm  treating  you 
as  I  never  treated  any  other  man.  You  slipped  un 
der  my  reserve  and  reached  my  heart  before  I  could 
stop  you.  Do  you  know  how  I'm  treating  you? 
Just  the  way  I'd  like  some  good  woman  to  treat  my 
little  Eric  one  day,  when  I'm  not  here  and  he's  a 
man." 

"But  you're  going  to  be  here  for  a  long  time — 
just  as  long  as  I  am."  There  was  alarm  in  his 
assertion.  "I  couldn't  bear  to  think  of  your  not 
being  in  the  world.  It  wouldn't  matter  so  much 
whether  I  saw  you ;  it  would  be  the  knowledge  that 
I  could  see  you  that  would  make  all  the  difference." 

"Would  it?" 

"Yes,  I'm  sure.  You  mustn't  think  that  because 
there  was  Terry  and — I'm  ashamed  to  have  to  own 
it — a  passing  fancy  for  your  sister,  that  I'm  fickle." 

"I  don't.    I  never  thought  it  for  a  moment.    What 


348      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

I  thought  was  that  you  were  unhappy.  People  do 
a  lot  of  foolish  things  when  they're  unhappy." 

"It  seems  so  long  since  I  was  unhappy,"  he  said 
gently.  "You've  healed  everything." 

She  was  shaken  as  though  with  a  storm  of  sob 
bing.  No  sound  escaped  her.  She  did  a  thing  which 
was  as  amazing  as  it  was  beautiful.  Raising  his 
hand  which  she  had  been  holding,  she  hugged  it 
against  her  breast. 

IX 

During  the  night  he  nodded.  Once  when  he 
wakened,  he  found  her  tucking  the  robe  more  closely 
about  him.  "Go  to  sleep.  You're  tired,"  she  whis 
pered,  patting  his  shoulder. 

A  strange  woman — strangely  maternal  and  beau 
tiful  !  She  never  seemed  to  think  of  herself.  The 
women  whom  he  had  known  had  always  demanded 
that  men  should  do  all  the  giving.  Even  Terry  had 
been  like  that.  His  conception  of  love  had  been  of 
a  continual  bestowing  writh  no  hope  of  reciprocity. 
To  be  allowed  to  give  throughout  one's  life  to  the 
woman  beloved  had  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  maxi 
mum  of  married  blessedness.  He  knew  better  now. 
Lady  Dawn  had  given  so  generously  that  she  had 
established  a  new  standard ;  he  would  never  again 
ask  so  little  from  any  woman.  He  began  to  per 
ceive  that  all  his  approaches  to  love  had  been  self- 
abasing.  In  the  true  sense  of  the  word  he  had  never 
been  in  love.  Dream-intoxicated,  yes !  But  all  that 
he  had  experienced  had  been  desire.  It  was  a  new 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  349 

thought  to  him  that  a  man  must  respect,  even  more 
than  he  desires,  the  woman  whom  he  covets. 

His  feeling  for  Lady  Dawn  was  one  of  worship. 
When  he  wakened  to  find  her  watching  over  him,  it 
seemed  to  him  that  the  Mother  of  God  sat  beside 
him.  When  God's  Mother  is  symbolized  in  a  living 
woman,  love  is  reborn  into  the  world. 

The  last  time  he  awoke,  dawn  was  breaking.  The 
moon  had  grown  feeble.  A  chill  was  in  the  air.  He 
sat  up.  "What !  Still  awake !  I  don't  believe 
you've  slept  a  wink  all  night." 

"I  haven't.  I  didn't  want.  I've  been  enjoying 
myself." 

"You  look  tired." 

He  commenced  to  pile  cushions  behind  her  and 
tried  to  coax  her  to  take  some  rest.  "If  you  insist,* 
she  assented.  "But  I'd  much  rather  not.  I'm  like 
a  child  at  a  party;  I  want  to  last  out  every  mo 
ment." 

"Then  let's  talk.  We're  nearing  London.  We 
sha'n't  get  much  chance  for  being  alone  after  we  ar 
rive.  WTe  don't  know  what  we'll  find.  We  may  be 
whisked  away  in  opposite  directions.  Before  we're 
separated,  I  want  to  acknowledge  what  I  owe  you." 

"It's  cold,"  she  shuddered,  drawing  closer  to 
him.  And  then,  "You  owe  me  nothing." 

He  was  tempted  to  place  his  arm  about  her,  but 
the  cowardice  of  past  failure  was  strong  upon  him. 
He  was  afraid  lest  the  ordinary  gestures  of  affec 
tion  would  cheapen  him  in  her  eyes  ;  he  was  still  more 
afraid  that  they  might  mean  to  her  that  he  valued 


350     KINGDOM' ROUND- THE  CORNER 

her  too  lightly.     He  held  himself  in  hand,  staring 
straight  before  him  and  speaking  quietly. 

"I'm  the  only  judge  of  what  I  owe  you.  I  came 
to  you  broken.  Life  had  made  a  fool  of  me.  I'd 
fallen  through  placing  my  ideals  too  high.  Every 
thing  was  slipping.  Every  belief  I'd  ever  had  was 
open  to  doubt.  Most  of  all  I'd  lost  faith  in  the 
goodness'  of  women.  To  explain  my  state  of  mind 
I  have  to  tell  you  that  the  war  had  made  me  fanati 
cal.  Like  millions,  of  men  who  went  out  to 
die,  I'd  persuaded  myself  that  I  was.  fighting  more 
than  Germans — I  was  fighting  to  bring  about  the 
new  heaven  and  the  new  earth.  Our  politicians 
promised  us  as  much.  You  remember  their  phrases. 
'A  world  safe  for  democracy !  A  land  fit  for  heroes 
to  live  in.'  When  all  the  muck  and  the  heartbreak 
were  ended,  we  found  that  outwardly  it  was  the 
same  old  world.  Heaven  was  as  far  away  as  ever. 
There  were  no  signs  that  any  one  wanted  a  new 
earth.  Nations  which  had  been  comrades,  began 
to  wrangle.  Soldiers  came  home  to  find  their  jobs 
held  by  slackers.  The  glorious  promises  had  been 
a  death-bed  repentance ;  their  insincerity  was  proved 
when  the  world  recovered.  But  our  worst  disap 
pointment  was  utterly  personal — that  despite  the 
magnanimity  we  had  shared  and  witnessed,  we  our 
selves  were  no  less  selfish.  For  me  all  these  disil 
lusions  were  epitomized  in  Terry.  I'd  fought  for 
her.  IM  carried  her  in  my  heart.  If  I'd  died*  my 
last  thoughts  would  have  been  of  her.  I  came  back 
hungry  and  she  disowned  me.  That  she  should  have 
done  that  made  humanitv  a  Judas  and  God  a 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  351 

mocker.  I  don't  mean  you  to  believe  that  I  gave 
way  at  once  to  this  wholesale  injustice.  At  first  I 
made  an  effort  to  struggle  against  it.  I'd  always 
held  that  great  living  was  a  matter  of  pressing  for 
ward,  of  wearing  an  air  of  triumph  when  you  knew 
you  were  defeated,  of  believing,  in  spite  of  every 
proof  to  the  contrary,  that  further  up  the  road  your 
kingdom  waited  for  you.'* 

He  felt  the  pressure  of  her  friendly  hand.  "It 
does,"  she  assured  him.  "That's  what  you've  taught 
me.  It's  what  you  taught  Maisie;  it's  almost  as 
though  you'd  willed  her  husband  to  come  back. 
You're  a  great  believer.  All  great  believers  have 
been  doubters.  They  give  away  so  much  of  their 
faith  that  at  times  they  have  none  left  for  them 
selves.  You  limp.  Don't  flinch;  with  me  there's  no 
need  to  be  sensitive.  When  you  entered  my  room 
for  the  first  time,  you  made  me  think  of  another  lame 
man.  Do  you  remember  how  Jacob  wrestled  all 
night  with  an  unknown  assailant?  When  dawn  was 
breaking  his  tliigh  was  out  of  joint,  but  he  refused 
to  let  his  assailant  go  until  he  had  asked  his  name. 
The  stranger  would  not  tell  him — instead  he  blessed 
him.  And  then  Jacob  knew  it  was  with  God  he  had 
wrestled.  When  the  sun  rose  and  he  went  upon  his 
way,  he  halted  upen  his  thigh.  You  have  the  look 
that  I  think  he  must  have  had — the  look  of  a  man 
who  has  been  maimed  in  trying  to  make  God  answer 
questions.  It's  that  look  and  your  very  lameness 
that  have  given  me  back  something  that  Lord  Dawn 
took  from  me — something  that  he  knew,  when  he 


352      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

sent  you,  you  could  give  me  back:  my  faith  in  men, 
without  which  a  woman  can  have  no  happiness." 

The  ghostly  world  streamed  by,  silent-footed  and 
mist-muffled.  It  was  the  hour  when  children  are 
born  and  weary  people  die — the  hour  of  new  begin 
nings  and  ancient  endings,  when  life  and  death,  like 
soldiers  changing  guard,  salute  at  the  cross-roads 
of  the  new  day  as  friends. 

At  last  he  broke  the  silence.  "I  thought  I  had 
nothing  to  give  you.  I  felt  so  empty.  You  seemed 
so  strong  and  immovable,  like  a  still  tree  in  a  for 
est  that  was  storm-shaken.  You  made  me  feel  that 
however  the  wind  raged,  beneath  your  branches  there 

would  be  always  rest.  I  never  knew "  He 

paused  as  though  he  had  forgotten  what  he  had  set 
out  to  say.  "I  never  guessed  that  a  woman  could  be 
so  good." 

"Nor  I  that  there  was  so  good  a  man." 

They  clasped  hands  so  tightly  that  it  hurt.  The 
sun  was  rising  as  they  entered  London.  Trees 
dripped  gold  and  birds  were  chattering  as  they  drove 
into  Brompton  Square.  It  was  only  when  they  had 
halted  before  the  sleeping  house,  gay  with  flaming 
window-boxes,  that  she  released  his  hand.  With  the 
severance  of  contact  he  awoke  from  his  trance  and 
remembered  the  errand  that  had  brought  them. 


He  had  opened  the  door  with  his  latch-key  and 
had  stood  aside  to  allow  her  to  pass  into  the  hall, 
when  suddenly  he  clutched  her  arm  and  drew  her 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  353 

back.  He  signed  to  her  to  make  no  sound.  To 
gether  they  stood  listening.  The  early  morning  still 
ness  was  broken  by  a  door  shutting  smartly  at  the 
top  of  the  house,  a  cheerful  whistling  and  then  the 
unmistakeably  firm  step  of  a  man  descending. 

Tabs  had  no  man  in  his  employ,  so  what  was  a 
man  doing  in  his  house?  There  was  no  secretiveness 
about  the  stranger's  movements ;  on  the  contrary, 
there  was  an  airy  boldness. 

The  sunlight  danced  and  flickered  on  the  wall  as 
if  it  shared  the  excitement  of  their  suspense.  The 
footsteps  drew  nearer.  They  paused  dramatically. 
The  whistling  ceased  abruptly.  Had  the  stranger 
taken  warning?  A  match  was  struck.  He  was  only 
lighting  a  cigarette.  The  footsteps  came  on  again. 
At  the  final  bend  of  the  stairs  the  intruder  came  in 
sight.  He  halted,  mirroring  their  surprise,  and 
stood  staring  down  at  them  with  a  bleak,  hard  look. 
He  was  the  man  whom  they  had  least  expected. 

Tabs  was  the  first  to  collect  himself.  He  closed 
the  front  door  behind  him.  "Good  morning,  Gen 
eral.  You  couldn't  have  been  more  prompt  if  we 
had  telegraphed  you  that  we  were  coming."  When 
Braithwaite  still  stared,  Tabs  continued,  "Allow  me 
to  introduce  you  to  Lady  Dawn  and  may  I  ask  how 
long  I  have  had  you  as  my  guest?" 

Braithwaite  drew  a  puff  at  his  cigarette.  His 
manner  was  as  haughty  as  if  he  had  been  the  owner 
of  the  house.  "Since  last  night,"  he  said.  "I  have 
to  thank  your  Lordship  for  a  bed.  Mrs.  Braith 
waite —  A  gleam  of  amusement  shot  into  his 
eyes.  "Mrs.  Braithwaite  had  a  sentiment  for  spend- 


354      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

ing  her  first  night  beneath  your  roof.  Seeing  that 
you  were  away  and  that  I  was  so  newly  wedded" — 
he  made  an  eloquent  gesture — "I  could  scarcely  deny 
her."  Turning  on  his  heel,  he  commenced  to  re- 
ascend.  Across  his  shoulder  he  flung  back,  "Of 
course  I  apologize.  We'll  not  trespass  further.  In 
a  few  minutes  I'll  have  her  dressed.  In  half  an 
hour,  at  the  outside,  I'll  remove  her." 

"Don't  be  a  fool."  Tabs  spoke  sharply.  "You 
make  me  wonder  which  of  as  is  mad." 

Braithwaite  regarded  him  for  a  moment  with  an 
enigmatic  smile.  "I'm  not.  Yesterday  I  did  the 
wisest  thing  of  my  life."  With  that  he  vanished. 

Lady  Dawn  turned  to  Tabs  gently.  "If  that's 
the  way  he  feels,  then  he  has.  Terry's  to  be  con 
gratulated." 

"But  why  on  earth  should  she  have  wanted  to 
spend  her  marriage-night  in  my  house?"  Tabs  ques 
tioned.  "My  house  of  all  inappropriate  places ! 
That's  what  I  can't  understand.  And  what  could 
Ann  have  been  doing  to  consent?  You  remember  I 
told  you  there  was  a  time  when  he  was  practically 
engaged  to  Ann." 

They  mounted  the  stairs  till  they  came  to  the  first 
landing.  Entering  the  library,  with  its  bright  red 
lacquer,  they  sat  down  to  await  events.  But  Tabs 
did  not  sit  long;  he  was  too  restless.  Having  flung 
wide  the  French  windows  which  opened  out  on  to  the 
veranda,  he  kept  going  to  the  doorway  to  listen. 

He  glanced  at  his  wrist-watch.  "Barely  six 
o'clock!  Upon  my  word,  I  don't  relish  the  idea  of 
her  being1  disturbed.  Braithwaite*s  such  a  hot-head. 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  355 

For  all  I  care,  they  can  stop  here  as  long  as  they 
like.  I'll  take  a  holiday  so  as  not  to  embarrass 
them."  He  faced  Lady  Dawn  with  troubled  frank 
ness.  "The  question  is:  are  they  married?  I've  been 
trying  to  figure  things  out.  They  simply  can't  be 
unless  he  met  her  with  a  special  license  in  Gloucester. 

And  even  then,  I  can't  see  how But  if  they're 

not  married,  surely  he  would  never  have  had  the  au 
dacity  to  bring  her  to  my  house.  It  would  be  too 
preposterous — to  the  house  of  a  man  to  whom  she 
was  engaged,  where  she  would  be  waited  on  by  a 
woman  with  whom  he  was  once  in  love." 

At  that  moment  Ann  entered,  pretty  and  sleepy- 
eyed,  with  Braithwaite  following  close  behind.  Tabs 
commenced  speaking  at  once,  in  order  that  he  might 
put  them  at  their  ease  as  regards  his  intentions. 

"We're  not  here  to  blame  any  one.  You,  Gen 
eral,  evidently  think  that  I'm  hostile.  I'm  not.  As 
far  as  you're  concerned,  Ann,  whatever  you've  done 
is  right.  Of  course  I'm  a  little  taken  aback  to  find 
that  my  house  was  chosen  for  the  honeymoon.  But 
if  3Tou'd  like  to  have  the  use  of  it  for  a  week  or  so 
and  Ann  doesn't  object,  I'll  clear  out  and  leave  you 
to  yourselves.  You'll  make  me  really  happy  if  you'll 
accept  the  offer;  it'll  be  a  proof  of  friendliness. 
You're  wondering  why  we  surprised  you  so  early.  It 
wasn't  to  prevent  you  from  marrying.  It  was  be 
cause  Lady  Dawn  was  responsible  for  Terry  and  we 
felt  that  a  runaway  match,  with  the  marriage  an 
nounced  after  the  event,  might  damage  not  only  her 
but  you,  General,  as  well.  I  read  yesterday  in  the 
papers  of  what  you're  doing  and  I  want  to  say  just 


356      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

this  to  you.  You're  the  better  man.  You  deserved 
to  win.  Last  time  we  met  you  refused  to  shake  my 
hand.  I  hope  you'll  take  it  now.  You  can  afford 
to  be  magnanimous  to  a  rival,  now  that  you're  Ter 
ry's  husband." 

Tabs  stood  with  his  hand  held  out.  Braithwaite 
made  no  motion  to  accept  it;  and  yet  his  expression 
was  generous.  "I  can't  shake  your  hand  as  Terry's 
husband,  Lord  Taborley.  I'm  not  married  to  her." 

Lady  Dawn  sprang  to  her  feet  and  came  between 
the  two  tall  men.  "Not  married  to  her!  But  you 
intend  to  marry  her?  You  told  us  you  were  mar 
ried." 

Braithwaite  was  still  smiling.  "I  am."  To  their 
amazement  he  slipped  his  arm  about  Ann  and  kissed 
her  sleepy,  tender  mouth.  "Terry  is  safe  with  your 
Ladyship's  sister.  We  took  her  there  when  she  ar 
rived  last  night." 

He  turned  to  Tabs.  "You  said  that  I  was  the 
better  man.  I'm  not.  It  was  your  sense  of  duty 
that  always  urged  me.  I  have  to  thank  your  Lord 
ship  for  the  greatest  happiness  that  can  befall 
any  man.  You  made  me  see  it  as  my  greatest  hap 
piness,  when  I  was  in  danger  of  becoming  a  cad. 
There  was  one  thing  you  said  to  me  that  sank  into 
my  mind.  'You'll  never  succeed,  however  great  your 
courage,  unless  you  start  with  your  honor  solvent.* 
You  saved  my  honor.  I  didn't  like  your  methods. 
But  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  now.  If  it  hadn't 
been  for  you,  neither  Ann  nor  I  would  have  come 
safely  to  our  journey's  end.  I  think  we'd  both  like 
to  shake  your  hand." 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  357 

XI 

It  was  two  hours  later.  They  were  finishing  their 
breakfast  in  the  open,  on  the  balcony  of  the  Hyde 
Park  Hotel.  From  where  they  sat  they  could  watch 
a  lawn-mower  traveling  slowly  back  and  forth,  pat 
terning  the  sward  with  alternate  stripes  of  different 
colored  greenness.  They  could  smell  the  acrid  juices 
of  newly  cut  grass.  Beyond  the  islands  of  flowers 
and  vivid  candelabra  of  trees,  they  could  see  the  wild 
fowl  of  the  Serpentine  rise  and  drift  like  phantoms 
across  the  sultry  stretch  of  blueness.  Wheels  of  a 
water-cart  grumbled  sleepily  against  the  gravel. 
Moving  through  the  sunlit  shadows  of  the  Row, 
riders  were  returning  from  their  early  morning 
gallop. 

They  were  still  together — just  the  two  of  them. 
They  were  romantically  self-conscious  of  the  domes 
tic  appearance  which  their  twoness  caused.  Only 
married  couples  or  very  ardent  lovers  rise,  while  the 
lazy  world  is  sleeping,  to  keep  each  other  company 
at  breakfast.  They  had  not  had  the  heart  to  dis 
turb  the  General  and  Ann  in  their  temporary  pos 
session  of  the  little  nest-like  house. 

Lady  Dawn  was  speaking.  "So  you've  done  it 
again." 

"What  have  I  done?" 

"What  you  did  for  Maisie.  How  did  you  put  it 
last  night?  You've  led  them  to  their  kingdom." 

He  smiled.  "I  seem  to  have  a  faculty  for  doing 
that.  I  do  for  others  what  I  can't  do  for  myself." 

Still  not  looking  at  him,  she  said:  "Perhaps  you 


358      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

don't  find  your  own  kingdom  because  you're  too 
much  in  love  with  the  search.  You  don't  want  to 
bring  your  journey  to  an  end.  There  are  people 
like  that." 

"I'm  not  one  of  them. — I  wish  you'd  look  at  me, 
Lady  Dawn.  Do  you  know  what  I  covet  most  in  all 
the  world?  Rest  and  certainty.  I  don't  mean  a 
lazy  kind  of  rest,  but  the  rest  of  a  mind  at  peace 
with  itself — the  certainty  we  all  had  while  the  war 
was  on,  when  we  were  adventuring  for  the  advantage 
of  other  people.  I've  done  nothing  lately  that 
wasn't  for  myself.  I  want  some  one  to  live  for,  so 
that  I  can  forget  myself.  I've  been  thinking 

The  waiter  presented  the  bill.  Tabs  scarcely 
knew  whether  to  curse  or  bless.  He  had  been  ap 
proaching  the  danger-mark ;  nevertheless,  he  wasn't 
at  all  sure  that  he  was  grateful  for  the  interruption. 
His  heart  cried  out  to  him  to  risk  humiliation  by  one 
last  act  of  daring.  Experience  warned  him  that  it 
is  the  sins  of  precaution — the  follies  left  uncommit 
ted — that  are  most  regretted  by  men  of  seventy. 

She  rose  as  he  was  gathering  up  his  change.  The 
purpose  that  had  brought  them  to  London  was 
ended.  There  was  no  further  reason  for  their  being 
together.  If  they  were  to  prolong  their  companion 
ship,  a  new  excuse  must  be  invented.  He  saw  by  the 
tentative  manner  in  which  she  waited,  that  she  also 
had  realized  that.  He  became  perturbed  lest  she 
might  dismiss  him.  Speaking  hurriedly  to  forestall 
her,  he  said,  "I  suppose  we  had  better  make  sure  of 
Terry  by  hunting  her  up  at  Mulberry  Tree  Court." 

She  barely  nodded.     Perhaps   she  thought,  now 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  359 

that  Braithwaite  had  been  eliminated  as  a  rival,  that 
this  making  sure  of  Terry  betokened  a  rekindling  of 
the  old  infatuation.  A  constraint  grew  up  between 
them.  It  was  not  until  they  were  standing  on  the 
top  of  the  hotel  steps,  waiting  for  her  car,  that  he 
ventured  to  correct  the  wrong  impression.  "Funny 
about  Terry !  If  it  hadn't  been  for  her,  we  might 
never  have  been  friends.  The  first  day  of  my  home 
coming  she  drew  my  attention  to  you;  it  was  too  late 
— you  had  passed.  You  were  driving  with  the  Queen 
in  the  Park.  I  remember  what  Terry  said.  She 
called  you  Di  and  spoke  of  you  as  the  most  beautiful 
woman  in  England." 

She  gave  no  sign  that  she  had  heard.  As  though 
she  were  unescorted,  she  passed  before  him  down  the 
steps.  But  the  moment  they  were  seated  in  the  car, 
she  turned  to  him.  She  looked  her  full  age.  Her 
face  was  pale  with  more  than  weariness.  He  noticed 
the  threads  of  gray  in  her  hair.  Ever  since  he  had 
seen  Ann  in  her  flushed  shy  exaltation,  he  had  felt 
more  keenly  the  pathos  of  Lady  Dawn.  It  was  a 
pathos  that  found  an  echo  in  his  heart — the  pathos 
of  approaching  separation.  What  purpose  did  it 
serve  her  to  be  beautiful,  if  she  had  no  man  of  her 
own  to  admire  her? 

"You  were  on  the  verge  of  telling  me  something, 
when  the  waiter  interrupted,"  she  prompted.  "It 
began  like  a  confession.  You'd  been  speaking  about 
living  for  other  people  and  your  need  of  rest.  Then 
you  said  you'd  been  thinking — 

"It  was  about  how  one  could  make  a  man's  job 
out  of  living,"  he  answered  quickly.  "It's  all  wrong 


360      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

that  one  should  feel  decent  only  when  he's  attempt 
ing  to  get  slaughtered.  It  takes  neither  brains  nor 
perseverance  to  be  dead.  Any  one  can " 

"But  it  was  about  finding  rest  that  you  were 
speaking." 

"Yes,  but  I've  burdened  you  with  too  many  of  my 
troubles."  He  hesitated,  wondering  whether  he  dare 
tell  her  what  had  happened  to  his  heart.  "I've  done 
nothing  for  you.  I've  only  borrowed  from  your 
strength.  You're  the  most  restful  woman,  the  most 
calm —  Then  he  dodged.  "But  since  you  ask 
me  of  what  I  was  thinking,  it  was  of  how  I  might 
escape  to  the  old  hardships.  I  thought  I'd  call  at 
the  Passport  Office  and  get  in  touch  with  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  and  commence  arrangements 
to  explore " 

"Then  I  sha'n't  be  seeing  you  again?"  She  asked 
it  in  a  tone  of  dreariness,  bordering  on  terror.  Her 
hands  trembled  in  her  lap.  She  stared  straight  be 
fore  her. 

"But  you  will."  He  forced  a  cheerfulness  into  his 
voice  which  he  was  far  from  feeling.  "These  things 
take  time.  It  may  be  weeks — 

"But  you'll  go  away.     I  know  it." 

"I  suppose  I  shall.  Sooner  or  later  I  shall  re 
turn.  In  the  meanwhile  we  can  write." 

She  paid  no  attention  to  his  consolation.  Her 
face  was  gray  as  granite.  Her  hands  kept  folding 
and  unfolding.  There  was  something  symbolic  in 
their  emptiness.  "You  won't  come  back.  It's  the 
end.  You  weren't  sent,  after  all." 

How  or  why  he  said  it,  he  never  could  tell.     The 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  361 

words  were  utterly  unpremeditated.  He  spoke  them 
ordinarily  and  unemotionally,  as  though  throwing 
out  a  casual  suggestion.  "We  could  get  married, 
if  that  would  make  you  happier." 

"It's  what  I'd  like." 

His  heart  missed  a  beat.  He  dared  not  credit  his 
senses.  He  glanced  down  at  her,  prepared  to  find 
that  she  was  mocking.  The  most  beautiful  woman 
in  England!  There  was  no  mistake;  she  had  ac 
tually  asked  him. 

"It's  what  I  should  like,  too."  He  spoke  con 
ventionally.  Nothing  in  his  tone  betrayed  his  emo 
tion.  "It's  what  I've  been  dreaming  from  the  mo 
ment  that  we  met —  When  would  be  convenient?" 

"As  soon  as  possible." 

"Would  a  week  from  to-day  suit?" 

She  nodded.     "Or  sooner." 

Beneath  the  robe  his  hand  sought  hers.  He  did 
not  trust  himself  to  look  at  her.  She  was  his,  all  of 
her  and  forever.  It  was  marvelous.  The  secret 
clasp  of  her  hand  was  sufficient  for  the  present.  He 
was  still  doubtful  of  his  fortune  and  unnerved  by 
his  temerity.  He  felt  aloof  and  disembodied — an  un- 
involved  spectator.  And  this  was  love,  the  journey's 
end — this  smiling  stillness,  which  was  so  different 
from  anything  he  had  imagined ! 

They  entered  Mulberry  Tree  Court  and  drew  up 
before  the  house  with  the  marigold-tinted  curtains. 
It  was  while  they  were  waiting  for  the  door  to  be 
opened  that  he  broke  the  silence.  Smiling  down  at 
her  with  a  guilty,  glad  expression  he  asked,  "We're 
engaged  now,  I  suppose?" 


She  returned  his  smile  less  certainly.  "I'm 
ashamed.  But  you  won't  go — 

He  laughed  at  the  folly  of  her  question.  "Go, 
when  I've  got  you,  the  woman  whom  I  wanted !" 

"Then  you  won't  go  exploring?  You  won't  ex 
change  me  for  hardships?" 

"Di,  dearest,  I've  done  with  searching." 

The  door  was  opening.  She  pulled  herself  to 
gether.  Porter  stood  before  them,  neatly  laundered, 
with  the  old  suspicious  meekness  in  her  glance. 

"Good  morning,  Porter.  We've  come  to  see  Miss 
Beddow.  We've  been  told  that  she's  staying  with 
my  sister." 

"She  is,  your  Ladyship.  But  none  of  them  are 
down.  She  arrived  so  late  and  unexpected." 

They  followed  her  across  the  hall  into  the  sun- 
filled  drawing-room,  with  its  fragrant  flowers,  tall 
windows,  rockery-garden  and  little  oval  pond,  with 
the  toy  boat  floating  on  its  surface.  The  moment 
the  door  had  closed,  he  had  her  in  his  arms.  Now 
that  he  was  sure  of  her  possession,  he  held  her  des 
perately  as  if  he  feared  that  he  were  going  to  lose 
her.  "Closer,"  she  whispered.  "Closer."  It  flashed 
through  his  memory  that  thellast  time  he  was  in  that 
room,  he  had  been  the  spectator  of  just  such- a  union 
and  had  fled  from  it  because  he  was  excluded. 

She  stirred  against  him,  lifting  up  her  face. 

"This  time  you're  really  crying,"  he  whispered. 
Stooping  he  pressed  her  lips.  "They  always  told  me 
you  never — 

Freeing  her  arms,  she  clasped  him  tightly  about 
the  neck.  He  could  feel  the  weight  of  her  body, 


ROUND  THE  CORNER  363 

dragging  his  face  lower.  She  kissed  him  passion 
ately,  stopping  his  breath,  as  though  she  would 
breathe  into  him  her  very  soul.  "Oh,  my  dearest — 
my  very  dear !  How  cruel  you  were !  You  made  me 
ask  you.  I  thought  I'd  never  get  you." 

The  door  was  opening.  Terry  was  watching  them. 
The  first  they  knew  of  her  presence  was  when  she 
spoke. 

"You  came  to  see  me." 

They  broke  apart  like  shameful  children  and  stood 
regarding  her,  their  hands  just  touching.  She 
seemed  their  elder. 

"I  suppose  you  have  the  right  to  jeer  at  me,"  she 
continued  slowly.  "I'm  left  out.  I  was  too  cold. 
I'm  too  late.  I  didn't  want  what  was  offered  at  the 
time  it  was  offered.  What  I  didn't  want  once, 
I  can't  have  now.  And,  perhaps,  I  still  don't  want 
it.  Tabs  used  to  speak  of  kingdoms.  I  never  knew 
what  he  meant.  You've  all  found  yours — Maisie, 
Braithwaite,  both  of  you  and  even  Ann.  Everybody, 
except  me."  She  laughed  to  prevent  her  tears  from 
falling.  "I  suppose  Tabs  would  tell  me  that  mine's 
still  round  the  corner.  You  would,  wouldn't  you, 
Tabs?" 

Her  need,  which  had  been  theirs,  penetrated  their 
happiness.  They  felt  again  the  old  wild  pang  of 
neglected  loneliness.  Sargent's  painting  above  the 
mantelpiece,  looking  down  on  them,  reminded  Lady 
Dawn  of  her  own  forgotten  tragedy.  It  was  unen 
durable  that  their  gladness  should  bring  sorrow  to 
Terry.  With  a  common  instinct  they  went  towards 


364      KINGDOM  ROUND  THE  CORNER 

her.  Lady  Dawn  placed  her  arms  about  her.  It 
was  Tabs  who  spoke. 

"Little  Terry,  you're  not  left  out.  You're  ours 
more  than  ever.  We've  not  robbed  you.  We 
couldn't.  Of  you  alone  it's  true  that  everything  lies 
before  you.  All  the  time  you've  had  your  kingdom, 
though  you  didn't  know  it.  You  still  have  it — the 
Kingdom  of  Youth,  for  which  we  older  people  were 
all  searching." 

In  the  silence  that  followed  there  stole  to  them 
through  the  summer  sunshine,  above  the  mutter  of 
London,  the  music  of  a  distant  barrel-organ.  In  the 
mind  of  Tabs  a  picture  formed;  it  was  of  children 
dancing  along  a  golden  pavement  on  that  first  spring 
morning  of  his  disillusion.  The  tune  which  the  bar 
rel-organ  played  was  the  same.  His  brain  sang 
words  to  the  music : 

"Apres  la  guerre 
There'll  be  a  good  time  everywhere." 

And  it  was  no  longer  an  optimism — it  was  a  ful 
filled  promise. 

Surely,  beyond  the  bounds  of  space,  Lord  Dawn 
also  listened  and  was  happy.  For  Tabs,  as  long  as 
life  lasted,  it  would  be  the  marching-song  of  the 
kingdom  round  the  corner. 


A     000  030  671     2 


